


and now, it's time to leave and turn to dust

by Over_the_Love204



Series: To Build a Home [6]
Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Drama, F/M, Family, Friendship, Gen, Genderswap, Kidnapping, Rape/Non-con References, Romance, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-08
Updated: 2012-10-21
Packaged: 2017-11-13 20:22:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 157,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/507369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Over_the_Love204/pseuds/Over_the_Love204
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Each second in time matters; each act and decision, each event and sometimes a single thought can influence the course of events irrevocably.  The Salvatore brothers, from each of their births, affected numerous lives, for better or for worse.  What if, however, there had been one Salvatore brother, and one Salvatore sister?  Like the domino effect, everything (and nothing) changes.</p><p>The one in which Stefan Salvatore is Stephanie Salvatore.  Gendbent Alternate Universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. always find me here

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries. I do not own any quotes.

_Caroline Forbes: "His name is Stefan Salvatore. He lives with his uncle up at the old Salvatore boarding house. He hasn't lived here since he was a kid. Military family, so they moved_   
_around a lot. He's a Gemini and his favorite color is blue."_

_Bonnie Bennett: "You got all of that in one day?"_

_Caroline Forbes: "Oh, please. I got all of that between third and fourth period. We're planning a June wedding."_

.

.

.

"Homes sweet home," Stephanie Salvatore murmured, looking up at the Boarding House she hadn't been to in a long, long time.

"Well, that depends on your definition of 'sweet.'"

Stephanie didn't even turn around. "Shut up, Damon."

"Hey, I'm just saying," Damon teased and wrapped an arm around Stephanie, ruffling her long, flyaway brown hair.

"Get off of me, Damon, you oaf," Steph shoved Damon's leather cladded arm off of her and grabbed her backpack of clothes and money, hefting onto her shoulder.

The Boarding House was dusty, which Damon remarked on pointedly once they got inside. He dragged his finger across an in table and scowled.

"Hey, I'm not cleaning it," Steph said immediately, "If you want it done, do it yourself or ask Zach."

"He needs to keep the place in order," Damon remarked and saw the relatively small alcohol shelf. "And I'm going to stock up on the good stuff." He looked at the brands and Stephanie saw his frown deepen more and more as he went along. Sighing, she left Damon to it and went up to her bedroom.

Their however-many-greats-nephew was gone for the day, having wanting to be out as his vampire relatives moved in so he could avoid stepping on anyone's toes. He wasn't the happiest at having them there, but both Salvatore siblings had promised to not kill anyone.

"I'm on and off on animals anyway," Steph had told him. Her control never had been the best, and she'd had an especially bad couple of years in the 1920s. Damon and Lexi had dragged her out of it eventually, but Stephanie still had a vague feeling about something in that era that she was missing . . .

"What are you in so deep thought about?"

Stephanie jumped and saw Damon lying on her bed, smirking at her.

"You ass," Steph said, throwing the nearest thing at his face.

"Ooh, your diary," Damon said smugly, cathcing it, and Stephanie leapt onto him.

"Give it back!"

"You gave it to me!"

"On accident!"

.

.

.

"Have a wonder day at school, darling," Damon's voice oozed false sincerity, so the smack he got in return really out to be have been expected.

"Ouch!" He muttered, and Stephanie only waved at him cheerfully.

"Bye Damon." She slammed the car door and walked up to her new school in Mystic Falls. Other students loitered around aimlessly, though many were meeting up with friends they hadn't seen since the previous May. Stephanie went inside the doors and to the counseling office, where she had to compel the administrator into accepting her false documents.

Once she left there, she walked past the bathroom and ran smack dab into a girl with pin straight, long brown hair. Startled, Stephanie apologized, but her eyes widened. The girl looked exactly like Katherine.

But she was human.

What?

"Sorry, is that . . . the men's room?" Stephanie asked.

The Katherine-lookalike flushed pink, "Um, yes. It is. This isn't what it looks like?"

Stephanie quirked an eyebrow.

"My brother," She continued to try to explain, "He-"

"Say no more," Steph explained, "I have a brother too. They're all idiots."

The girl laughed, "Yeah? Older or younger?"

"He's twenty four and my legal guardian," Stephanie said.

The girl's eyes went downcast. "Are your parents . . . ?"

"They're gone," Stephanie said gently.

"Mine died this past summer. Car accident," The girl explained, "Oh, and I'm Elena. Elena Gilbert."

"Stephanie Salvatore, but my friends call me Steph," Stephanie introduced and shook Elena's hand. The dark headed girl smiled.

"What do you have first period?" She asked.

"History," Steph said.

"So do I; I'll lead the way," Elena said.

.

.

.

Soon school was over and Stephanie had met all of Elena's friends; Caroline Forbes, Bonnie Bennett, and the cute ex-boyfriend Matt Donovan. She waited for Damon in front of the school by herself and practically launched herself into the passenger side.

"You'll never believe who I saw at school," Stephanie said, turning to Damon.

"Ashton Kutcher? Brad Pitt?" Damon's sunglasses slid down his nose as he started to drive.

"Be serious," Steph said.

"I'd rather poke my eyes out."

"Damon!" Stephanie hissed.

"Okay, okay, who'd you see?" Damon asked grudgingly.

"I met a girl named Elena Gilbert. She's a dead ringer for Katherine," Stephanie waited for the backlash.

It didn't come.

"Well?" Steph asked.

"Well, what?" Damon asked, eyes flashing back to the road.

Stephanie's green eyes narrowed. "You knew about her, didn't you?"

"What are you talking about?" Damon evaded.

"You did! You knew that some girl was living here that looked exactly like Katherine! Why didn't you tell me?" Stephanie demanded.

"It's like you got into cat fight or anything, did you?" Damon drawled. "I'd want to see that, if there was one, by the way."

When Stephanie said nothing, Damon looked at her, alarmed. "You didn't really fight, did you?"

"No. She's nice, actually," Steph said reluctantly. "I liked her."

Damon smiled smugly.

"Her parents just died," Stephanie continued. "She's very sad right now." Out of the corner of her eye, Stephanie watched Damon. "It was a car crash."

Damon's lips tightened.

"You were involved, weren't you?" Stephanie asked.

"No!" Damon denied. "Not in the actual sense." At Steph's unimpressed look, he added, "I saved her life. That's all."

"And you conveniently left her parents to die?" Stephanie asked frankly.

"No, what kind of sick freak do you think I am?" Damon asked, actually offended.

"Sorry," Stephanie apologized and Damon relaxed. "So you like her?"

"Um."

"You do," Steph said, smirking. "You like like her."

"What are you, five?" Damon scowled.

Stephanie shrugged, but became serious. "Be careful, okay? I don't want to see you hurt because of Katherine again."

"Elena's not Katherine," Damon corrected.

"How do you know?" Stephanie asked, curious.

"Because . . . I've been kind of stalking her. Since I saved her from the car crash," Damon didn't look sheepish at all. He simply smirked.

Stephanie took a breath to yell at her weird older brother, but let it out in a sigh. "Just be careful, alright?" She repeated.

"Of course, little sister," Damon kissed the top of Stephanie's head, and the younger girl hissed and pulled away.

"Stop doing that!"

Damon just laughed.

.

.

.


	2. heartlines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "There is a little boy inside the man who is my brother... Oh, how I hated that little boy. And how I love him too." 
> 
> \- Anna Quindlan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or anything recognizable. I do not own any quotes used and or modified in this story.

Stephanie enjoyed school life – as much as a one hundred and sixty-one year old vampire could.  However, going to Mystic Falls High was only supposed to be a distraction, something to curb boredom, not to learn anything.  Not that she'd learned much, really.  Stephanie had gone to Harvard at one point in her long life, after all.  Of course, once she'd befriended Elena Gilbert and her small group of friends, Stephanie had started to enjoy the experience much more.

If only Bonnie would stop avoiding her. The girl had accidentally touched her and refused to see Stephanie again. Of course, at the touch of their hands, Steph had realized that Bonnie Bennett was in fact a witch and it was most likely that the other girl had found out Stephanie was a vampire.

If that was in fact the case in point, why wasn't she dead yet?

The night of comet had come and passed and Stephanie had found that she'd enjoyed the experience with her new friends. Damon had shown up and "introduced" himself to Elena and her friends and hung out with them.  Stephanie had noticed some serious attraction on Elena's part, which Damon was doing nothing but encouraging with his charm.

.

.

.

The night of Founder's Party had found Stephanie getting ready in her room. She'd picked out a dark blue dress that fell just passed her knees and was strapless. It showed off the green rose tattoo that sat on the back of her neck, the stem going down a little ways on her back. The bodice was tight, but it flared out below that.

Damon wolf whistled in her door way and Stephanie resisted the urge to throw something at him.

"Yes, Damon?" Stephanie debated whether or not to put her hair up.

"Do you have that necklace still?"

"Gotta be a little more specific, Damon," Steph murmured distractedly. Her own lapis lazuli ring hung down by a silver chain and sat in the hollow of her throat, accentuating her slender neck.

"The one you found decades ago. In the club you mentioned," Damon said, walking inside. He was in a black leather jacket and a simple black tee. His dark jeans and boots completed Damon's customary look. Stephanie frowned at him, finally pulling away from the mirror.

"You're wearing that to the Founder's Party?"

Damon did his famous eyebrow wiggle. "You got a problem with it?"

"Yes," Steph said flatly, "You're going with Elena and you want to make a good impression. Right now it looks like you're in a motorcycle gang."

Damon smirked. "What if I am in a motorcycle gang?"

"You're not, so change," Stephanie walked away from the mirror.

"Hey, you didn't answer the question. You still have that necklace you found forever ago?" Damon asked, jumping onto Steph's bed.

Stephanie frowned and walked to her dresser and pulled out a lovely little necklace that had sat in a little silver box with a small clasp. She held it up to Damon. "This it?"

"That is the one," Damon flashed to her side. "May I have it?"

"For Elena?" Steph teased.

Damon moved to ruffle her hair, but Stephanie flashed across the room. "No touching, please."

"Can I have it?" Damon whined.

"Sure, whatever," Stephanie tossed the trinket to Damon. She'd found the necklace in Gloria's bar in the '20s and thought it was a pleasant looking thing. It had been on the floor and partially broken, so Steph had taken it with her and repaired it herself. "You should put some vervain in it," She suggested.

"Why? And there is no vervain in Mystic Falls anymore. I know. I burned it all," Damon said.

"Zach imported some and has started to regrow it in the cellar downstairs – he's giving to the council, he told me," Stephanie said.

"What?" Damon glared. "Why didn't you tell me that?"

"Because you're not feeding on the people of Mystic Falls and so it wasn't important?" Steph suggested innocently. A few people had turned up dead recently and Zach had instantly suspected Damon. Not that Stephanie thought it actually was her brother, but there was the definite possibility of other vampires in town. "Besides, we mostly drink from blood bags anyway."

Damon spluttered a little, and stomped off with the necklace.

"Don't forget to put Vervain in it and to change into something nicer!" Stephanie called.

.

.

.

The Founder's Party was hosted at the Lockwood's large home, and Stephanie couldn't help but be hit by memories of lost days in the past.

"You alright, Steph?" Elena was at her elbow, her arm looped through Damon's. Damon had taken her advice and changed into a nice suit jacket and a black button up shirt. He wore dress pants, and even left his boots at the Boarding House and changed into some nicer shoes.

"I'm fine," Stephanie answered a moment later. The three of them walked up to the Lockwood door in their place in line, which was rather large. "I think the whole town's here," Steph murmured.

"It pretty much is," Elena agreed. Major Lockwood met them at the door where Steph and Damon had hit the invisible barrier that almost met them at a stranger's home.

"Elena and friends, welcome," The smiled warmly and waved them inside. The three walked over the threshold, and saw what seemed like all of the citizens of Mystic Falls.

"I'll leave you guys to it," Steph excused herself, but not before noticing the necklace around Elena's neck. She hid a smile when she smelt the Vervain inside. Damon tipped his head and Elena waved a little as Stephanie took off by herself. She spied the newscaster Logan Fell bothering Elena's Aunt Jenna across the room and smirked when the woman blew him off.

Stephanie snuck a flute of wine off of a tray and sipped at it.

"You don't look twenty-one," A masculine voice said behind her and Stephanie spit out her sip into the leafy plant next to her. She turned around to see a young man with short brown hair and that looked a little like Elena.

"That's good, because I'm not," Stephanie said and took a closer look at the young man. "Are you Elena's little brother, Jeremy?"

The boy's good humor faded a little. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm Elena's little brother, who's a year below her. You're her new friend at school, right? Steph or something?"

"Yeah, I'm Stephanie," The vampire held out her hand which the young Gilbert took into his. She noticed that his palms were soft and large. "You could call me Steph, if you'd like."

"Sure," Jeremy smiled a little, revealing a dimple in the corner of his mouth.

"Elena said you weren't coming to the Founder's Party," Steph said idly, twirling the olive in her glass flute.

"Our Aunt Jenna made me get out of the house and come," Jeremy said a little downcast.

"Hey, at least there's free food and wine, right?" Stephanie tried to cheer Jeremy up. She didn't exactly approve of underage drinking, but . . .

A hint of a smile tugged at Jeremy's lips. "Yeah, at least there's that." The two teens walked through the Lockwood's decorated home together. Out on the pavilion lights were strung up and soft music played in the background. Couples had gathered and started to dance.

"Would you . . . I mean – I – do you want to dance?" Jeremy asked stutteringly and Stephanie bit her lip. "Never mind, it was a stupid-"

Stephanie took Jeremy's hand before he could finish his sentence and brought him to the dance floor. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around the short girl's hips and they both swayed a little. The tempo sped up as the song changed to something cheerier. Steph took the lead and showed Jeremy a few steps that suited the song.

They were both laughing as the song slowed to a stop and something soft and romantic started.

"Is that . . . is that my sister with your brother?" Jeremy asked, squinting over Stephanie's shoulder. Steph twisted her neck and saw Elena and Damon dancing and seemingly amid a heated conversation. A moment later Elena stormed off, leaving a furious looking Damon behind. "Yeah, that's definitely them; no one can storm off quite like Elena can."

Stephanie stifled laughter, but the amusement left her when Damon stormed off in the direction of the Lockwood home, seemingly intent on something.

"It was very nice meeting you Jeremy," Steph said apologetically, "But I'm going to have to go after Damon to make sure he doesn't do something stupid." She stepped back from the tall teen.

Jeremy nodded and waved her off, and Stephanie nearly ran after her older brother. She found him in a back room, shoving something amber into his pocket.

"What was that out there?" Stephanie said with her eyes locked onto Damon's face. "That scene with Elena."

Damon rolled his eyes and clapped a hand onto Stephanie's shoulder. "Steph. Nothing's wrong. At all. Okay? Let's go back home."

Stephanie growled with irritation, "Why?"

"Because I'm not having a good time," Damon pouted.

"You were until you started some fight out there with Elena," Steph said, hands placed firmly on her hips.

Damon sneered and stalked from the room. Stephanie sighed, but followed her brother out and passed all of the festivities in the main rooms. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jeremy standing with Vicki Donovan, and the older girl had her hands all over the Gilbert boy. Steph felt a pang in her chest and turned away sharply.

"Gilbert's just aren't worth the trouble, I guess," Damon said, following her gaze.

"Shut up, Damon," Steph brushed passed him breezily, irritated.

"Come on, Steph, it was a joke," Damon said, then added softer, "Kind of."

They walked to the car and were seated inside when Damon asked, "You want to go feed with me? It'll be fun." He wheedled.

"No thank you," Stephanie said, "I don't particularly like your brand of fun, Damon."

"Ouch," Damon said, placing a hand on his chest, "That cut deep."

Stephanie pushed Damon roughly and he swirled the wheel. "Uh oh, uh oh, we're going to crash!"

"Damon, you ass! Grab the wheel!"

Damon laughed and steadied the car and pulled up to the Boarding House. Stephanie walked up the drive way, but when she turned around, Damon had disappeared into the night.

"Of course," She muttered.

.

.

.

In the morning the papers and the news all had the same headline; **Another Animal Attack in Mystic Falls.**

Stephanie angrily got up and stalked into Damon's room in just her night clothes, slamming open his bedroom door. The room is larger than he could possibly need, with a huge king sized bed with a canopy in the center. Lying in the bed is Damon and a girl that on a closer inspection turned out to be Vicki Donovan. Both were at least half naked, if not completely in the nude.

Steph walked over to the bed and made sure that Vicki was off of the bedspread and then flipped the covers, making Damon fall onto his face on the hard floor.

"Damn it, ow!" Damon growled and hissed up at Steph. "What, Stephanie?"

"What," Steph asked, controlling her voice "is she doing in your bed with bite marks on her neck? And why are there more headlines about ' _animal attacks?_ '"

"Did you seriously just use air quotes at me?"

"Damon!" Stephanie hissed, "This is serious!"

"I know. Nobody used air quotes anymore. At all," Damon blinks up at her.

Steph smacked Damon on the back of the head with her newspaper. His following squawk of indignation woke Vicki up on the bed. She wearily blinked. At the sight of Stephanie, she shot up and stared. It's then that Steph realized she was standing in her older brother's room in nothing but an oversized tee shirt and her underwear.

"Um. I'm not one of his conquests, I'm his sister," Stephanie pointed out before Vicki could get any ideas. The girl seemed to let out a sigh of relief and she sank back into bed. Steph narrowed her eyes at Vicki's blown pupils and then whirled around to face Damon.

"Can I talk to you?" She grabbed Damon's shoulder and hauled him out of the room.

"What?" He asked indignantly.

"Did you turn her?" Stephanie demanded.

"No!" Damon denied, "We just spent a lovely night together."

"Aren't you sort of going out with Elena right now?" Stephanie asked, hands on her hips.

"She's pissed at me and it's we've only gone out once or twice. That doesn't make us exclusive, Steph; not everyone is the epitome of morality like you, anyway."

"Just, please, please make up with Elena," Steph said, turning towards her room. "And Damon?"

"Yes, sister of mine?"

"Get rid of Vicki. She's everywhere."

Realization dawned on Damon's face, "Wasn't she the one that Elena's brother was all over last night?"

"I don't see why that matters," Stephanie deflected.

"I saw you dance with him," Damon wiggled his eyebrows.

"That doesn't mean anything," Stephanie denied, "He's too young and not my type." She stomped off to her bedroom.

"What is your type then, Steph? I've not seen you with a man in a while – have your tastes changed to run more towards the feminine variety? I can hook you up with some of my ex's!" Damon laughed as he heard something break in Stephanie's room, along with a short shriek of indignation.

"What's going on?" Vicki appeared in the door.

"Nothing, sweetheart, nothing at all," Damon cooed, but then added, "Please cover your neck – I don't want blood on the carpet."

.

.

.

Stephanie went to the school car wash with Elena in denim shorts, black tank top, and sneakers. Elena was dressed as casually when they met up.

"Hey," Steph greeted warily. She wasn't sure if Damon had spoken to her yet.

"Hi," Elena grunted, blowing a strand of brown hair out of her face.

Guess not.

"Let's start then, yeah?" Steph suggested and the two girls got to work on their first car. The heat was searing that afternoon; it was unusually hot for the time of year. Stephanie saw Bonnie in her peripheral vision, and Caroline was bouncing around Matt, who was hanging with Tyler Lockwood.

"That's a beautiful ring; don't you want to take it off so you don't get it wet?"

Steph's gaze shot up to meet Elena's, only to see the dark headed girl gazing at the ring hanging on Stephanie's neck like a necklace.

"Oh, no, it's fine," Steph said.

"Are you sure? Too much water and the band will start to rust," Elena warned.

"It's fine," Stephanie said a little louder, but froze when she saw Elena frown. "I mean, it's important to me to keep it on – it belonged to a dear friend."

"You must mean Katherine," Elena said in a knowing tone. Stephanie's whole body stiffened and Elena took notice. "I'm sorry," She said quickly, "Damon mentioned her – she was his ex and you two were really close when she died. I won't mention her again."

"It's fine," Steph said tautly, scrubbing a little harder on the car. "So, how's Jeremy? I saw him at the party last night."

Elena gave her an odd look. "He's fine. I'm just glad Vicki left him – they were getting pretty hot and heavy at the party and I was worried they were going to – you know." Elena shot her a meaningful glance.

"Oh, yeah, of course," Stephanie said. Her cheeks burned. "Have you talked to Damon? He's been miserable without you."

"Really?" Elena asked with an edge in her voice, "Because he looked pretty cozy with Vicki after she was through with Jeremy last night."

"That's the way he copes with things – he's not the best with feelings until you get to know him," Steph tried to defend her brother, but the scarring image of finding him in bed with that bi-girl Vicki was making it hard to sympathize with him.

Elena just rolled her eyes.

"Give it another chance," Steph persisted. "He's not a bad guy – really protective after a while, if you get close enough, and he chases off all potential boyfriends – but that second one really wouldn't apply if you were dating him." Stephanie wilted.

"Guy trouble on your end?" Elena asked, deftly turning the tables on Steph.

Stephanie sighed as the driver collected his car and the next one parked. "No."

"Excuse me? Do I know you, Miss?" And elderly man appeared out of the corner of Steph's vision and pointed at her. The girl looked up and tilted her head to the side.

"I don't think so, Sir," Stephanie said warily.

Elena looked between them, puzzled. Her hand stilled from scrubbing the soapy car.

"I do know you," The man's voice grew in certainty, "My God, you haven't changed a bit."

"Steph . . . ?" Elena was peering at them both with confusion; her eyebrows raised high on her forehead. A young man walked over quickly and excused himself and his grandfather, muttering about Alzheimer's. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Stephanie said quickly, "Didn't you hear his grandson? He said that he had Alzheimer's and that he was having an off day."

Elena narrowed her eyes at Stephanie. "I'm going to go to the bathroom. Be right back." The taller girl excused herself and left Steph standing by the wet car, nervous. She had no time to contemplate what Elena was about to do however, because there was a huge flare up of fire several feet away. Stephanie's eyes widened as she saw it was Bonnie causing it.

The vampire ran to the witch's side.

"Bonnie, Bonnie, calm down." Stephanie shook the taller girl's shoulders. "Bonnie, look at me."

Bonnie's eyes shot to Stephanie and the fire went out. "Stephanie . . . ?"

"Yeah, Bonnie, it's just me," Stephanie's green eyes search Bonnie's brown ones. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Bonnie said quickly, shaking off Steph's hands. The vampire tried to not be hurt or offended. "I'm going to go."

"Hey, Bonnie," Stephanie said, thinking quickly, "Whatever I did to hurt you, I'm sorry."

The witch's eyes widened a little before looking down. "It's not you, Steph, there's just some things going on in my life right now. We're fine." She excused herself, walking away quickly.

Stephanie sighed. "Not a day goes by without some sort of drama."

She went back to scrubbing the car.

.

.

.

"So there's a dinner party at the Gilbert's place tonight."

Stephanie carefully did not jump at Damon's presence in her room. "Yeah?" She asked neutrally. "Did you and Elena make up?"

"On the contrary, dear sister," Damon drawled, "I invited myself to meet Jenna, Jeremy, and that dick Logan Fell who's coming over. After the dinner, Elena and I are going to . . . talk."

"Do they even know you're coming over?" Stephanie asked and furrowed her eyebrows at Damon.

Damon waved his hand to the side,"Technicalities."

Steph rolled her eyes, and then became serious. "Elena's on to us, Damon. She knows something's up with all of our secrets." She watched as Damon seemed to restrain himself from saying anything and then he shrugged.

"I'll take care of it," He said vaguely and disappeared from the room.

"Don't do anything stupid," Stephanie said to thin air and sighed.

.

.

.

It was late night when Stephanie heard someone banging on the front door of the Boarding House. Curious and more than a bit worried, Steph shut her journal and flashed to the main door, pulling it open. Zach wasn't exactly one for night visitors and it was best if he stayed asleep.

Standing in the front porch with a homemade stake in her left hand was Elena, looking simultaneously furious and terrified.

"What are you?" Her voice was hard and her eyes were narrowed as she choked out the question.

Stephanie tilted her head to the side. "What did Damon tell you?"

"Enough," Elena spat.

"Then you know," Stephanie said with one of her hands gripping the heavy wooden door. Her fingers itched to shut it.

"I want you to say it, because there's no possible way for it to be true," Elena was half way hysterical.

"Where's Damon?" Steph asked, partially curious and wanting to change the topic.

"I came here to look for him," Elena said, fingers tightening around the roughly whittled stake. "He left after giving me some hints after dinner. Now stop avoiding the question and tell me what you are." Damn it, Stephanie wished Damon didn't leave her to clean up all of his messes.

"We're vampires, Elena," Stephanie admitted, closing off her face and heart to the unavoidable rejection of her friend.

"I shouldn't have come," Elena had gone white, fingers slack on the stake. She dropped it on the ground and the dark head girl sprinted to her car.

"Wait," Steph called, flashing in front of the human, "Wait, I'll explain!"

"Stay away from me," Elena shouted, and dodged Stephanie. Steph let her go, and picked up her cell phone and dialed Damon's number.

"Hello, darling sister –"

"Shut up, Damon, and go explain to your girlfriend that we're not going to eat her in her sleep," Stephanie snapped and then hung up. She was furious at Damon – what was he thinking, telling Elena?

She walked back up to the house and saw Zach standing in the archway, blinking sleep filled eyes at her.

"Aunt Stephanie? What are you doing?"

"Nothing, Zach, it's fine," Steph mumbled, brushing past her only living human relative to go to her room.

.

.

.

The morning after Stephanie didn't hear a single thing from either Damon or Elena. She got up and turned on the television to see Logan Fell talking about a drug bust in the middle of the forest. Steph almost turned it off when she heard Fell say, "It was truly a tragedy that the Chief of Police could not get there before a teenage girl that goes to Mystic Falls High School, Vicki Donovan, overdosed and passed. There will be no-"

Stephanie turned off the TV and flipped out her phone, dialing Damon.  It rang, but no one answered.  Concerned about her brother and the other girl, Stephanie made a quick decision.  Damon could surely handle himself for a short few hours while Stephanie found Vicki Donovan to make sure the girl hadn't had any vampire blood in her system.

.

.

.

The universe hated Stephanie, she was sure of it. It absolutely loathed her, because she was tracking Vick through the forest while her older brother gallivanted around with Elena somewhere else in Mystic Falls.

She found the other girl at the base of large tree, sobbing.

"Vicki? It's me – Stephanie Salvatore?" Steph hesitantly approached Vicki. She looked up with her mascara running down in rivulets on her cheeks.

"Yeah, I know who you are – you've been following me all day about this vampire thing. Leave me alone!"

"Hey, hey, I just want to help," Stephanie took a seat next to Vicki and watched her. "How are you feeling, really?"

Vicki sniffed and rubbed at her face viciously. "I . . . weird. Everything's so loud now – the sounds and the lights and the smells. Does that make sense? My head is pounding and my entire jaw aches so bad. I just . . . I just want it to stop."

"I can make it stop," Steph whispered quietly, "You can make it stop."

"How?"

"You can choose not to turn," Stephanie looked at the other girl. "You don't have to be a vampire. It's really not all it's cracked up to be."

"Yeah?" Vicki asked. "But what happens when I choose not to turn? I'll die, won't I?"

"Yes," Steph said truthfully. "It'll all just . . . be over."

Vicki sniffed again. "Can I go home? Can you just take me home?"

"Of course," Stephanie said quietly, standing. She lowered her hand so the taller girl could take it. She heard something odd, and so she turned her head to the side.

The sound of a gun clicking hit her ears, followed by a gunshot booming. Stephanie whirled around, but something hit her below her breasts, right in her ribcage. Startled, Steph raised a hand to place on the wound, and raised her hand to her face. Blood slicked her fingers, and more bled from her body.

She fell backwards onto the forest floor, gasping for breath.

Vicki scrambled up, and Stephanie whispered, "Run, Vicki, run." Logan Fell emerged from the forest with a gun in a one hand and a golden compass in the other. He put both away and pulled a stake out of his back pocket.

"Got you," He murmured.

Stephanie choked on blood coming up through her throat, hindering her breathing. Fell kneeled by her side and pressed the wooden bullet in deeper. Steph hissed with pain and her limbs flailed. Vicki was still standing motionless at the base of the large tree.

"It's a shame that you're a vampire," Fell said quietly, "You're quite beautiful."

"Go to hell," Steph spat blood into his face. The man's features twisted and he raised the stake to destroy her. Stephanie waited for the killing blow.

It never came – Damon did instead. He threw Logan off of Stephanie and she saw Elena comforting Vicki by the tree. Damon ripped Logan's throat out and Elena flinched at the carnage happening in front of her.

Her brother appeared in front of Stephanie, leaning down to brace of his hands on her shoulder. His face was tight with anger. "This is going to hurt, Steph," Damon said.

Stephanie nodded and bit her tongue until it bled to keep from screaming as Damon ripped the wooden bullet out of her body. Behind her brother, Elena squealed as Vicki flashed over to Logan Fell's body and started to devour the man's neck.

Vicki looked up with blood on her chin. "I'm sorry," She cried, and disappeared quickly.

"Well, shit," Damon said. He helped Stephanie up and she wavered on her feet. Damon grabbed her bicep to hold her steady. Elena came up to her other side, one of her hands running through her long hair in anxiety.

"What do we do now?"

.

.

.

It was easier than they'd thought to track down Vicki – she'd started to head back to her and Matt's home, but the three of them – Steph, Damon, and Elena – managed to intervene before she actually got there.

"But why do I have to stay at your house?" Vicki asked Stephanie again. Steph sighed. Elena and Damon had disappeared again to settle a few things – mainly deciding what to do with Vicki and whether she should be able to go back into society. The whole town thought she was dead, after all. How would they explain her body's disappearance, and then her lively reappearance?

The only thing that had been decided was that Steph was stuck with the taller girl again, babysitting.

"I want to go see Jeremy," Vicki said. Stephanie almost broke the cell phone from the amount of pressure she suddenly put on it a second later.

"No," She said sternly, "You – we are not going to go see Jeremy. You're going to leave him alone, alright? He's defenseless against you right now and you have zero control around humans."

Vicki pouted. "But I'm bored. This house is boring. You're bo-" Vicki didn't finish the sentence because Stephanie shot her a death glare. The older vampire breathed out and spoke calmly.

"Your entertainment is less important to me than the safety of the citizens of Mystic Falls. So. Sit down and read a book, or watch a movie, or take a nap, or drink a blood bag. Just do. It. Quietly."

"Sheesh, you'd think he was your boyfriend or something," Vicki scowled and threw herself onto the couch. Stephanie turned away sharply to avoid letting the other girl see her flustered.

"He's not," Steph muttered, folding her arms. She spotted her phone and sighed.

The front door opened and Damon walked in briskly. "Everything's settled," He announced. "I compelled the doctor and morgue employees to believe it was a mistake, so Vicki can go back into the world."

"What about everyone who watches the news?" Stephanie asked suspiciously.

"The people of Mystic Falls will be very sad to find out that their doctors are simply incompetent."

"Someone has to watch her," Stephanie said, giving Damon a look, "To make sure she doesn't accidently kill anyone. And I thought practically the whole town was on Vervain now, so how did you compel everyone?"

"Well, these guys were non-believers or just didn't care. And if you're volunteering to watch her . . . ?" Damon trailed off, smirking.

"It was your blood that turned her – take responsibility!" Steph said, gesturing with her hands. "It's your fault this happened."

"I'm right here, you know," Vicki said as she sat up on the couch. "I can hear every word you guys are saying."

"At least you're hearing works," Damon drawled.

"Where's Elena?" Stephanie asked suddenly.

Damon pointed a finger at Vicki and said, "Stay. Good girl." Vicki scowled, but said nothing as the Salvatore's disappeared up the stairs into Damon's room.

"She wants some time to her herself. 'To think things out.' What does that even mean?" Damon asked as the door was shut.

"Why are you asking me?" Steph asked as she threw up her arms.

"You speak girl," Damon said. "I speak 'sexy beast.' Decipher. Translate."

Stephanie scowled. "She just found out her semi-boyfriend was a vampire along her with her new friend, Damon. Her brother's friend was just turned into a vampire and a man was killed before her eyes. She probably just needs some time to think about how her life is going, and where she wants it to go."

"But she's taking a long time," Damon whined.

Stephanie forced herself to not roll her eyes. "You told her yesterday. What did you guys do all day, anyway?"

"Elena asked some questions and I answered them," Damon vaguely replied. "Now," he led the way out of his bedroom, "I think I'll go stalk her some more with some crows. You'll be okay watching Vicki, won't you? Great."

"Damon –"

He disappeared quickly, ducking out of Stephanie's way. Steph rubbed the bridge of her nose as she heard Vicki complain about being bored again.

"This is going to be a long next few weeks."

.

.

.

As she predicted, Stephanie's next few weeks were long and trying. Vicki despised being cooped up inside all day, and then when she was allowed out at night, it was with Stephanie close behind her. Steph could tell that Vicki had had it up to here with Steph tailing her all the time, so when Vicki had disappeared on the night of the Halloween dance, she really wasn't surprised.

Stephanie caught up to Vicki just in time to see her try to eat Jeremy. The girl had the younger boy trapped against a school bus and had buried her teeth into his neck, moaning at the fresh taste of human blood. Steph flashed to their side and ripped her off of him.

"Get away from him, Vicki!" Steph said loud and clearly, "You'll kill him."

Vicki hissed and Elena appeared behind her, gasping. "Jeremy!" Vicki's eyes flashed to Elena and then back to Steph. Seconds later, she was at Elena's side preparing to snap her neck.

"No," Stephanie hissed.

A vindictive streak was running through Vicki that night. "Pick which Gilbert you like better, Stephanie, and pick fast."

"How about both?" Damon's voice declared and a second later a stake was jutting through her heart. The girl mummified and Jeremy let out a horrified yell. Steph hesitantly reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. Jeremy flinched, and Stephanie pulled back like he'd slapped her. Elena ran to the little brother's side and urged him away from Vicki's body.

"Well, tonight was a bust," Damon's voice was unrepentant. "I always knew that girl was trouble."

"Did you come to that conclusion before or after you slept with her?" Steph asked.

"Foul play," Damon said mildly. He wrapped an arm around Stephanie's shoulders and she didn't shake him off. "Let's go to our Gilbert's and make sure everything's okay."

"He's not my Gilbert," Stephanie protested, but walked with her older brother.

"But he will be," Damon said confidently.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Sure. But then I'll have to threaten him within an inch of his life if he tries to hurt you. It'll be fun," Damon said cheerily.

Stephanie rolled her eyes, but didn't bother to correct her brother. Certainly Jeremy wouldn't want anything to do with vampires ever again after that night.

The Salvatore's arrived at the Gilbert's home to find Elena sitting on the bench outside her house with her head in her hands. She peeked up at them when the two vampires were in front of her. The steps creaked as they climbed up the stairs to stand in front of Elena.

"Hey," Elena greeted and half-heartedly waved.

"Hey," Damon returned and tilted his head. "How is he?"

"Bad," Elena offered Steph a small smile and then looked back to Damon, "I think I want you to take his memories away. He's – he's not doing well." Stephanie bit her lip as Damon looked at her out of the corners of his eyes with his eyebrows raised.

"Maybe Steph should talk to him," Damon suggested. "She's a people person. It'll be like therapy."

Elena shot Damon a foul look, before looking at Stephanie doubtfully. "Not that I don't think you're great to talk to, but what could you do for him?"

Steph shrugged. Looked away.

"She's being modest," Damon said, giving Stephanie a significant look. "She's great at talking to be people. Go on – you'll help him."

Part of her was amused at Damon's meddling, so Stephanie walked towards the Gilbert home. Elena sighed. "Sure. I'll try anything at this point. Go on in." Steph passed the invisible barrier and went up the stairs and found the closed door next to Elena's. Jeremy's room, she guessed.

Stephanie knocked lightly on the mahogany.

"Go away, Elena," Jeremy's choked up voice called out to her.

"Not your sister," Steph said quietly.

Jeremy didn't say anything for a moment. Then – "What do you want?"

"To talk," Stephanie responded and opened Jeremy's door into a crack. She peeped inside. Jeremy was lying face down with his head on a pillow. He turned towards her as Steph made her way towards the bed.

"Can I?" Stephanie gestured towards the bed.

"Yeah. Sure," Jeremy sat up and discreetly wiped at his red eyes. "Hi Stephanie."

"Hey Jeremy."

"So . . . you're a vampire too?" Jeremy asked with no preamble. His eyes were staring straight into Steph's green ones. Stephanie blinked at their intensity. She licked her lips.

"Yeah."

"Damon too, I assume?"

"Yes."

Jeremy's eyes searched her face. "Who turned you guys?"

Stephanie felt herself harden a little. "A vampire called Katherine. She's dead though; died in a fire at the church here in 1864."

Jeremy pursed his lips. "What was she to you? I'll go out on a limb and say Damon was in love with her?"

Steph took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Damon fell in love with her and Katherine was . . . a good friend to me. In transition, though, I found out that she had compelled me to not be afraid of her, and quite a few other things."

"Compelled?" Jeremy asked. "What does that mean?"

Stephanie took the next few minutes to explain the processes of compelling people, about Vervain and the things that didn't hurt them that everyone thought did, and how to turn others.

Jeremy was leaning forward by the end of her explanation, genuinely curious about everything.

"Your rings sound really cool," He said and reached for Stephanie's necklace. Steph held very still as Jeremy fingered the neck at her neck. "Very pretty."

"I didn't pick it out," Stephanie said, looking anywhere but Jeremy's face. "It was on me when I woke up in transition – a gift from Emily, Katherine's witch, as we found out later."

"Huh." Jeremy wasn't looking at the ring anymore. His eyes climbed her face and landing on her green eyes.

"Are you okay now? I think your sister's worried you're going to jump off the roof or something," Stephanie said quietly. Her eyes settled on Jeremy's lips.

"Yeah . . ." Jeremy trailed off. Stephanie saw his eyes go down to her mouth, where her lips were parted a little.

"Jeremy."

Stephanie and Jeremy jumped back from each other and whirled around. Elena was standing in the doorway looking uncomfortable.

"Um, yeah, Elena?" Jeremy asked, and Steph caught the slightest bit of irritation in his voice.

"I came to check on you guys – Steph's been up here for a while," Elena's eyes were shooting from her little brother to Steph, and back.

"I told her to wait, but . . ." Damon appeared at Elena's shoulder. "She got impatient." He rolled his eyes.

"Are you alright, Jere?" Elena asked, ignoring Damon.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be okay. It was just a shock, is all," Jeremy said.

"Oh," Elena bit her lip, "It's just, I thought you and Vicki sort of had this thing, a while ago. I wasn't sure . . ."

"What?" Jeremy shook his head, "No. No. No thing."

Elena nodded and Stephanie stood from Jeremy's bed. "I think we should go, now," Steph said. Damon sighed, seemingly put upon. Elena seemed relieved though at the announcement. As the Salvatore's left, Steph saw Jeremy smile at her. Stephanie hesitantly returned it.

As soon as they were seemingly out of earshot, Steph heard Elena tell Jeremy it wasn't a good idea to be involved with vampires. Damon scoffed.

"Is that how it's going to be, then?" He was angry – he'd staked a vampire for her, after all.

"Come on, Damon, she's just not ready for anything yet. Give her a little time," Stephanie said, ignoring the slight disappointment that had come when Elena had showed up in Jeremy's bedroom. She didn't want to think of what the feeling meant.

Damon didn't say anything in response and just drove them back to the boarding house. Zach was elsewhere in the house, and Damon disappeared again.

"Just don't kill anyone tonight," Stephanie said before he vanished. Damon gave her a look that said no promises.

Steph trudged up the stairs and fell face first into her bed.

.

.

.

Elena continued to ignore Damon's further advances, making the vampire less careful with his meals, and sometimes, kills. Mr. Tanner, the High school History teacher was found dead one morning, and the Council was up in arms in a panic, and started devoting much more time to uncovering the vampires responsible. Elena, of course, had an idea of who it was, but kept her lips sealed. As much as she said she wanted nothing to do with them, and wanted the same for Jeremy, she still kept their secret as she had promised.

Elena's conviction wavered a bit and she went to visit the Boarding House to talk to Damon when she ran into a vampire in a towel.

"Um, excuse me?" Elena peeked through her fingers. "I'm Elena. Who are you?"

"I'm Lexi," The blond said, her eyes widened. "A friend of Stephanie's. Wow. Just, wow."

"What?" Elena asked, confused.

"It's just – nothing, never mind," Lexi said.

"Is Damon here?" Elena asked and shuffled her feet.

"No, not right now. He's being weird and secretive, but I think he's just planning a party at the Grill or something. Steph's birthday is today," Lexi said.

"Really?" Elena was surprised. She hadn't known . . . but that was her own fault. She was the one who'd said she wanted 'space.' Right.

"Uh huh," Lexi said. "Are you going to wait around for Damon?"

"No, I'll, uh, I'll see him later," Elena left the Boarding House quickly without running into Steph or Zach. Inside still, Lexi flashed up the stairs and found Stephanie slipping a shirt on.

"Do you all have permanent emotional damage?" Lexi demanded.

"What?" Steph asked, her nose wrinkled in confusion. She slipped on her blue shirt and put her hands onto her jean clad hips. "What's wrong?"

"I just met Elena," Lexi glared, "And from what I've seen of the pictures Damon has of Katherine, they look exactly the same. You want to tell me why? Or how come you and Damon are hanging around Mystic Falls with her?"

"Lexi," Steph said, "I have no idea why Elena looks like Katherine – and I really don't care. I'm actually surprised Elena stopped by though – she's upset with us right now."

"Why's that?" Lexi asked, her ire at her friend dimming a little.

"She found out we're vampires and didn't take it well," Stephanie said, waving her friend off. Lexi narrowed her eyes.

"There's something else bothering you," Lexi said. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Steph said quickly, "Let's just go to this thing Damon's throwing, okay?"

Lexi rolled her eyes, but nodded. "I don't know why you and Damon still travel together. He's a dick."

"But he's my brother," Stephanie said, "so he's not as much of a dick to me as he is to you."

"Uh huh."  exi went to go find some clothes to wear.

.

.

.

The party at the Grill was tamer than it could've been, and so Stephanie enjoyed her time there with Lexi. They played several rounds of pool and watched as Damon badgered Elena at the bar. The couple snarked at each other, but it was more domestic than 'I'm going to stake you,' or 'Leave me the hell alone.' Stephanie saw Jeremy lurking around out of the corner of her eyes more than once, but ducked her head whenever he looked over.

"Okay, what's up?" Lexi paused the game and stared at Steph pointedly.

"What do you mean?" Stephanie avoided. "Nothing's wrong."

"I didn't say there was anything wrong; just that something was up. Come on, tell me," Lexi pressed. "I can keep a secret."

"There's no secret," Stephanie said, and her eyes cut to Jeremy.

"Oh," Lexi said, "I see him. So, who is he?"

"Nobody," Steph said quickly.

"Now I have to know," Lexi said smiling. "What's his name?"

"It's just Jeremy – Elena's little brother," Stephanie gave in. "What are you doing? Where –no, don't go over there!"

Lexi put down the pool table stick and started towards Jeremy, Stephanie reluctantly following. Jeremy looked up at their arrival and smiled at Steph.

"Hey, Stephanie," He said.

"Hi," Steph said, "Um, this is my best friend, Lexi. She came to town for my birthday."

"Hi Lexi, I'm Jeremy Gilbert," Jeremy offered his hand, which the blond took and shook. He shot a look towards Steph. "Is she . . . like you?"

"Oh, he's already in the know," Lexi said smiling, "Nice."

"So that's a yes?" Jeremy asked, and Stephanie nodded her head. "Cool."

"I like you," Lexi decided, "Not many people say 'cool' when finding out I'm a vampire. It's a good change of pace for me. So, Jeremy Gilbert," Lexi asked, "Would you like to come play some pool with us? Stephanie's really good."

"Sure, I'd love to," Jeremy said, smiling at Steph.

"Great," Stephanie said faintly, "that's great."

.

.

.

"What's Jeremy doing?"

Damon looked over to see his little sister and her best friend playing pool with Jeremy.

"Playing pool. What's the big deal?" Damon asked lazily. "He's a big boy, he can handle himself in a game, I hope."

"Stop, Damon," Elena said, "I'm just worried about him."

"Well, don't," Damon said exasperatedly. "Steph's the friendliest vampire on the planet and her friend Lexi's nice, if a little forceful. Your brother's in good hands." He wiggled his eyebrows.

Elena smacked him.

"It's just . . ." Elena looked around and then whispered into Damon's ear, "I think he likes your sister. A lot."

"Yeah. I knew that," Damon said. The 'duh,' was silent.

"What? How?" Elena glared.

"Steph's my little sister – I know things. I also know that the feelings are reciprocated." Damon smirked.

"I just worry about him," Elena said, "I'm just barely coming around to me dating a vampire – but my little brother? And your sister's a vampire too."

"Yeah," Damon said, "Not getting the point of this conversation."

"What if . . . something happens? I know you said she was safe, but what if there's an accident?" Elena asked, the anxiety in her voice palpable. Damon sighed and grabbed Elena's arm gently, and brought her closer to him.

"Then an accident happens, Elena. You can't control everything. Relax," Damon said. Elena sighed and watched Jeremy's obvious flirting and Stephanie's obliviousness.

"Yeah, Steph's not exactly good with guys. I mean, she's my sister and great," Damon said, "But she doesn't really like to get involved with humans – you all do die, eventually."

Elena swallowed thickly. "Yeah. We do. Why do you want to be with a human?" She turned to him.

Damon stared at her. "Let's take a walk," He offered his hand.

.

.

.

Stephanie had enjoyed the pool game while it lasted – which was well into the night. The three played and Lexi compelled them a few shots from the barman, which Steph tried to limit. The Grill was closing soon, so Stephanie ushered a drunk Lexi, and a cheery Jeremy out.

"I have no car," Steph realized out loud. "We ran here."

"Yeah, we did!" Lexi yelled, "We ran all the way here."

Jeremy laughed a little and steadied Lexi on her feet. "Whoa there, don't fall over. Um, Steph, what are we doing?"

"Going to have to walk home," Stephanie said, slipping her phone back into her pocket. "Damon's not answering his phone and none of us have a car. I'll keep an eye out for anyone unpleasant."

"Like muggers? There are no muggers in Mystic Falls," Jeremy teased as Steph came to stand on Lexi's other side. They all started to walk while Lexi babbled.

"You can never be too careful," Stephanie cautioned.

"Of course, you're right," Jeremy agreed, smiling a little. "After all, you and your brother are here, so I guess other supernatural stuff could be too. Hey," Jeremy looked at Steph with an inquisitive expression, "Are there werewolves around?"

"Those are a myth," Steph grunted, avoiding one of Lexi's flailing arms.

"Really? What about zombies?"

"Myth."

"Witches?"

"Real," Stephanie confirmed. Jeremy must not know about Bonnie.

"Wow. Okay, what about ghouls and ghosts?" Jeremy asked.

"Never seen any," Stephanie said.

"Um, Big Foot?" Jeremy suggested.

"We may never know," Steph teased. "As well as the Jersey Devil and the Loch Ness Monster. Any other mystical creatures you're wondering about?"

"Okay, so there are these things called Veela in the Harry Potter series-"

Stephanie couldn't stop the burst of laughter that erupted from her lips. "No. No, Veela, or giants, or pixies, or mystical old men with long white beards either."

Jeremy pretended to look downtrodden. "Well, at least there're vampires. But nothing else cool. There aren't any that sparkle, are there?"

"Not unless they're partial to glitter," Stephanie said, smiling.

They arrived at the Salvatore Boarding house and walked up the porch steps. "I can help put her into bed," Jeremy suggested.

"Thanks, Jere," Steph said, "That would be appreciated." Together, they lugged the unconscious Lexi up to one of the spare rooms, and Stephanie pulled a blanket over her.

Steph walked Jeremy out to the porch when she paused. "Do you like cars?"

Jeremy shrugged. "Not a big fan, but any guy can appreciate something pretty."

"Would you like a ride in something very pretty?" Stephanie asked, looking up at Jeremy's face. He looked taken aback.

"Sure." Steph wasted no time in practically dragging Jeremy to her lovely red collector's vehicle in the garage.

"Well? Isn't she lovely?" Stephanie smiled at Jere.

He responded, "Yeah. She is." His gaze didn't waver from Steph's face, and the vampire flushed.

"Come on, I'll take you home."

Stephanie drove Jeremy home and they stopped in front of the Gilbert's house. The porch light was on, but nothing else was. They sat in the car for a second.

"That was fun," Jeremy said finally, looking at Steph. "Happy birthday, by the way. Lexi made sure to mention that it was. Your birthday, I mean." He twiddled his thumbs.

"Thanks," Stephanie said.

"How old are you anyway?" Jeremy wondered aloud.

"Seventeen."

"Hah," Jeremy said, "I mean your actual age. Like . . . fifty? A hundred?"

"One hundred and sixty-two today," Stephanie said, watching Jeremy's face. He gaped at her.

"Wow. You're older than Dumbledore." Stephanie hit him lightly on the shoulder.

"Thanks."

"He was wise," Jeremy said and was wise enough to duck.

"So, I guess this is good-bye," Stephanie started. She turned to look at Jeremy but was startled when he put his lips on hers. His hands came up to rest on the back of her neck, touching Steph's tattoo. Stephanie buried her small hands in Jeremy's hair and deepened the kiss.

They broke away a minute later and stared at each other.

"Wow," Jeremy said.

"Yeah," Steph breathed. "That was good."

"Yeah?"

"Uh huh."

Stephanie leant in first that time.

Jeremy left the car a few minutes later with a bounce in his step. As soon as he was inside, Stephanie touched her lips with her fingers.

.

.

.

"Where have you been, young lady?" Damon asked as soon as Stephanie opened the front door. His arms were crossed and he raised his eyebrows at her. "Your hair is a mess."

"Is it?" Stephanie asked.

Damon's eyes narrowed. "Uh huh. What were you doing?"

"Where were you?" Steph shot back after her head cleared a little. "Trying to get into Elena's bed again?"

Damon smirked. "Maybe."

"Liar," Steph said, rolling her eyes. She walked passed Damon and headed to her room.

"You were doing something," Damon sang, "Something you don't want me to know about."

"Whatever, Damon," Steph said.

"What did you do?" Damon persisted, "I bet it was something to do with Jeremy. You kissed him, didn't you?"

"What are you, a teenage girl?" Stephanie asked him, amusement clear in her voice.

"That wasn't a 'no!'" Damon crowed.

Stephanie walked into her bedroom and started to shut the door. She paused when there was only about five inches to shut.

"No, it's wasn't a 'no,'" She said. Steph closed the door on Damon's laughter.

.

.

.

tbc


	3. the quiet chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Sibling relationships - and 80 percent of Americans have at least one - outlast marriages, survive the death of parents, resurface after quarrels that would sink any friendship. They flourish in a thousand incarnations of closeness and distance, warmth, loyalty and distrust."
> 
> \- Erica E. Goode

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or any quotes borrowed. I do not own the character Faye Chamberlain – she belongs to the author L.J. Smith or the CW – whoever owns the character now. But it's definitely not me. (Her age is what she would be in 2012, according to the books by L.J. Smith, where she was born in 1975.)

The previous History teacher, Mr. Tanner, had finally been replaced Stephanie noted as she walked into class with Elena one morning. The man introduced himself as Alaric Saltzman – "You can call me Rick."

The man was nice enough, Steph supposed, but kind of suspicious. He had a large signet ring similar to Damon and hers – but that meant nothing. "Rick" could just have a bad taste in accessories. He also offered Jeremy a whole new start, a clean slate of his place in Tanner's "jackass" folder. All he had to do was pick a history topic local to Mystic Falls and write a research paper for extra credit. There were parameters, of course, but it was the perfect opportunity for Jeremy to not flunk the class.

"I wonder if I could site you as my source," Jeremy had teased half seriously one evening in the library.

"Don't think it would count," Stephanie had said, "But I could probably loan you my father's journal to use. You might to see if you can't find the Gilbert journal while you're at it, actually."

Jeremy had liked the idea – it was certainly a good one. Jenna had told him that he could use his father's boxed up history stuff and had found it all very useful. Stephanie enjoyed her time spent with Jeremy - but Elena had yet to find out where her friend and her little brother kept disappearing off to. She didn't even realize that they were disappearing off together yet.

"You should just tell her," Damon told Stephanie when she told him. "She already knows that he likes you, because that's really obvious. You just have to tell Elena that you and Jeremy have actually started seeing each other."

"How's your relationship?" Steph changed the subject.

"Perfect," Damon smirked.

"And how well did Elena take it when she found out you were the cause of several people's deaths during your temper tantrum caused by her turning you down at first?" Stephanie asked dryly.

Damon glared.

"Not well?" Steph teased.

"You're a horrible little sister," Damon said dramatically, "You wound me so with your sharp tongue." Stephanie rolled her eyes at his theatrics.

"So, I've joined the Town Council that hunts down vampires," Damon continued. Steph just raised her eyebrows at him. "They already had one Salvatore, Zach obviously, but how could they turn down another helping hand? Anyway, with me in there with them, I can keep any suspicions about vampires turned away from us."

"Wow," Stephanie said. "That's . . . a good idea."

"Is that surprise in your voice?" Damon asked, narrowing his eyes.

"No," Steph said quickly. "I have to go to school. Bye." She picked up her backpack and fled the Boarding House. Damon's voice called after her.

"We'll continue this discussion later young lady!"

.

.

.

Stephanie stood by Elena's locker with Caroline and Bonnie as she turned around to face all of her friends. "Tonight," Elena announced, "We're all going to have a sleep over at my house. There's this weird tension between everyone, and we're getting rid of it."

Bonnie looked at her feet and adjusted the strap on her backpack. Caroline blew a stray piece of hair out of her eyes, but it simply fell back into place. Irritated, she shoved it behind one of her ears.

"Alright?" Elena asked pointedly.

"Okay," Caroline observed her nails.

"Sure," Bonnie grunted listlessly.

"Yeah, sounds fun," Stephanie said unenthusiastically.

"Good," Elena gave them all significant looks. "I'll drive everyone after school." She walked on to History class and Bonnie followed after her, leaving Caroline and Stephanie to exchange looks.

.

.

.

That evening the girls were all gathered in Elena's bedroom in an awkward silence. Caroline and Bonnie weren't speaking to each other, Elena felt caught in between, and Stephanie felt obligated to be kind to everyone, yet she was avoiding any and every topic that concerned dating and brothers.

Elena interrupted the unnatural silence surrounding and hovering above her and her friends. "Okay, this isn't working. Can we talk about what's bothering you guys, please?" She stared down her friends. Bonnie broke first, twisting her hands nervously in her lap.

"Alright, this is killing me to keep a secret," Bonnie said. Everyone gathered onto the floor at the foot of Elena's bed in a circle, though only Caroline was truly in the dark.

"What? That you're a thief?" Caroline crossed her arms.

Stephanie shifted on the carpet, uncomfortable. She wished she'd stayed home and listened to Damon harp about life. That certainly was more predictable than a scorned Caroline on a rampage.

"No, Caroline," Bonnie snapped, "I'm a witch." Stephanie tried to school her features into an expression of shock. Not even Elena knew that Steph was aware that Bonnie was a witch – she'd known the moment Bonnie had touched her hand and started acting distant.

Caroline glared, "Right. Tell me another one."

"Care, it's true," Elena appealed to the other girl, "I know it is."

"What, you told her before you told me?" Caroline asked furiously, "It's always like this! There are you two, and then there's me. Did you know about this?" Caroline spun to Steph, and the shorter girl shook her head vigorously, hating the lie.

"Not that I believe you, that you're some kind of – of supernatural creature," Caroline cut back to Bonnie scathingly, "It just proves that you're a thief and a liar."

Bonnie's lips pressed together and she raised her hands and the rug they were sitting on lifted two feet into the air; not even the tassels touched the ground. Caroline shrieked and Stephanie had to steady herself before she fell backwards to the ground.

"Whoa! Put us down, put us down!" Caroline said shrilly and Bonnie hurried to comply. Once the rug was safely on the carpet again, Caroline nearly tripped herself trying to get off of it.

"That – that – when did you become a witch?" Caroline asked, her eyes huge.

"I guess I've always been one," Bonnie admitted, "My Grams has been trying to tell me forever, but I just didn't believe her."

Caroline nodded slowly.

"And, Care, I'm sorry about the necklace," Bonnie continued, and Stephanie perked up.

"Necklace?" Stephanie asked. "What necklace?"

"Just some amber stone in a silver setting that Bonnie gave me and then took back," Caroline said after regaining her footing.

"Look, let me explain," Bonnie said, "I took it back because Grams said it belonged to my ancestor Emily, who was a witch. Once I got it back, I started . . . to see Emily. So then I couldn't give it back."

"Like a ghost?" Caroline asked.

"I think I'm being haunted," Bonnie said bluntly. "Does anyone else think I'm crazy?"

"A few weeks ago . . . sure," Elena said quietly, "But now . . . no. Not after everything that I've seen."

"Can I see the necklace?" Stephanie asked, and the other girls started, having forgotten her presence for a moment.

"Um, I threw it away," Bonnie admitted.

"Then what's this?" Caroline asked, picking up the amber necklace from Bonnie's purse. Her eyebrows rose as she swung it on its silver chain like a pendulum.

Elena and Bonnie looked at each other, alarmed. "I did, I swear. I don't know how it got back in there," Bonnie said. Stephanie peered at the piece of jewelry and felt apprehension rise up in her. That's Katherine's necklace, she thought to herself.

"You know what this means?" Caroline asked abruptly. "Time for a séance!" She clapped her hands with excitement.

"What?" Stephanie asked disapprovingly. "Those are dangerous, Caroline."

"We'll just ask this Emily chick why she's bothering Bonnie and then we'll be done; no time at all for any funny business," Caroline persuaded. "Come on, guys."

The other three girls exchanged looks before Bonnie nodded.

"Let's do this."

.

.

.

They were all seated around in a circle; candles were in the center, lit and bright around the necklace. Stephanie's eyes widened as Bonnie's figure became straight backed and her eyes more distant, older. The girl's facial expressions were off, and she was sitting unnaturally stiffly.

"Bonnie . . ." Elena asked carefully.

"That's not Bonnie," Stephanie said quietly, and Elena and Caroline's heads swiveled to stare at her.

"What do mean –" Caroline started, but 'Bonnie's' eyes stared into Steph's.

"Stephanie Salvatore," Her accent was different.

"Emily," Stephanie replied coolly. "What are you doing?"

"It must be destroyed," Emily said, her voice flat.

"Emily?" Caroline asked, scrabbling back. "What? Is-is Bonnie possessed or something?"

"Yes," Stephanie said evenly. "That's Emily Bennett – Katherine Pierce's witch. What has to be destroyed, Emily?"

"The necklace. He can't have it - it will cause destruction and despair," Emily replied, standing. She grabbed the locket from the center of the candles.

"'He' who?" Elena asked quickly.

"The one who tried to save her," Emily said vaguely. "Don't try to stop me." She turned and started to leave, but Elena tried to stop her. "Foolish girl, I do not wish to harm you, but I will if I must. Stand aside."

"No. Not until you release Bonnie," Elena said firmly. She shot Steph a look and Stephanie stood and walked towards them.

"Stay back, vampire," Emily said with no scorn. "Your assistance will not be needed. I will let my descendant have control of her body once this deed is done."

"Vampire?" Caroline shrieked. "Is there anything else you guys are keeping from me?"

"We'll explain later, Care, I promise," Elena said. Her eyes searched Emily's. "Let us come with you to destroy the necklace."

"Why?" Emily asked suspiciously.

"We just want to make sure Bonnie's okay," Stephanie replied. Emily's gaze swept over her before she nodded shortly.

"That is acceptable."

The ritual Emily did wasn't very long, and all of the girls were emotionally drained when it was over. They drove back to Elena's in a tired silence, not even Caroline remarking on anything. It was dark when they got in; there was hardly a star in sight because of the clouds. The steps creaked when the four girls walked up them.

"Okay," Caroline said, taking charge as soon as they were in Elena's room again with the door shut tightly. "I want explanations. Right now."

"Caroline's right," Elena said quietly. She was seated in her bed, her back resting against her headboard. Caroline was standing a few feet from the rug they'd sat on for the séance, and Bonnie and Steph were sitting on Elena's large bed. "No more secrets after tonight. Swear." Stephanie and the others nodded, and she figured, what the hell. She might as well tell them about Jeremy and her too while they're here.

"So, I'll go first," Caroline said suddenly. "I've been hanging out with Matt. I like him. A lot. I think we'll start going out, actually." Elena was clearly surprised and her lips formed a small 'o.'

"Good for you, Care," Bonnie said.

"I'm happy for you," Elena finally managed.

"Matt's always seemed nice to me," Stephanie said. She was glad Caroline had someone, especially someone as wonderful as Matt Donavan seemed.

"Okay, now," Caroline narrowed her eyes, "You're a witch," She pointed at Bonnie, "And you're a – a vampire." Caroline then pointed at Stephanie. Steph's anxiety rose.

"Yeah," Bonnie and Steph said. Stephanie answered all and any questions that Caroline had, eager for the other girl to not be afraid of her.

"Alright," Caroline was surprisingly accepting, as long as Stephanie promised she wouldn't eat anyone. "Elena's turn."

"I'm dating Damon Salvatore," Elena said quickly. "Stephanie's older brother."

"You're dating him?" Bonnie asked.

"He's hot!" Caroline said eagerly, and Elena flushed.

"Ew, that's my brother," Stephanie wrinkled her nose, but Caroline just waved at her dismissively.

"But he's not any of our brothers," She pointed out and begged Elena for details. Elena complied with their curiosity for a few minutes, but refused to say anything about really personal details.

"Any other secrets going around?" Elena asked half-heartedly. "Jenna's probably expecting us to be sleeping right now, despite her laid back attitude."

Stephanie said quickly, "Jeremy and I started going out a few weeks ago." Seeing Elena's look of surprise, she hurried to add, "And I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I was worried about your reaction, though Jeremy and Damon said you'd be fine."

Caroline and Bonnie waited for Elena's reaction.

"It's . . . it's fine, Steph," Elena said, busying her hands, "I . . . kind of already knew. Or at least, I guessed. I knew Jeremy had liked you, and Damon told me you liked him too. So. I'm okay with it."

Stephanie breathed out a sigh of relief. "I really like him," She said. "He's very sweet. And-"

"Let's make a deal," Elena said quickly, "I won't talk about my relationship with Damon with you, and you won't tell me anything about Jeremy unless something's wrong?"

"Deal," Stephanie was relieved.

.

.

.

Stephanie and Damon were bickering one bright and early one morning when the doorbell rang. Steph frowned.

"It could be for Zach?" She suggested.

"Maybe," Damon agreed, but followed Stephanie as she opened the front door. Sheriff Forbes stood in their porch with a grim air about her.

"Hello, I'm here to see Damon and Zach," She said to Steph, and the vampire opened the door wider so the Sheriff could see Damon.

"Steph, go get Zach," Damon said sharply. "Sheriff Forbes. What a surprise." He sent a side long glance at Stephanie and left quickly to get their nephew. Damon turned back to the Liz Forbes.

"Come in," Damon led her back through the house to their backyard where Zach was waiting with Stephanie.

"Should she be here?" Liz asked in an undertone. Zach nudged Steph, who went inside, but kept listening as she went.

"What do you need, Sheriff Forbes?" Zach asked, concerned.

"There's been another attack," She said. "The victim was found this morning completely drained of blood." Zach gave Damon a leery glance, but the vampire warily shook his head. I didn't do this.

"The story's that there's been another animal attack, but I'm not sure how much we can keep lying to everyone. Everything had gotten so quiet there for a while, but I guess the vampire or vampires were just luring us into a false sense of security."

"So what do we do?" Zach asked, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. He bit his lip thoughtfully.

"The Council would like to gather a meeting – perhaps you could bring some ideas to the table," Sheriff Forbes said.

Zach and Damon nodded and agreed with her, then escorting her out. As soon as the Sheriff was gone, Stephanie flashed to their sides and punched Damon's shoulder roughly.

"Ow! What was that for?" Damon scowled.

"I thought you were done killing people after you got back together with Elena?" Steph asked pointedly.

"He says it wasn't him," Zach's tone is doubtful.

"There's another vampire in town," Damon said, glaring at Zach.

"That's impossible," Stephanie said as she frowned.

"Obviously not," Damon shrugged. "But not to worry, dear sister. I'll figure everything out."

Damon left Zach and Stephanie in the Boarding House as he sped off, in search of Elena.

.

.

.

"What do I do now?" Elena asked over the phone.

Damon answered, "Just wait. I'll be there." He flashed to Elena's side, making her jump.

"Thank you," He grabbed the compass out of her hands.

"So we're searching for another vampire?" Elena asked as Damon fiddled with the device.

"No, I'm searching for another vampire. You were here to use this, because I interfere with its signal. Now that that part is done, don't you have some career fair to go to?" Damon said.

"I can go to another one," Elena said as she reached out and grabbed Damon's arm. "I came with you this far, so I'm going to stay until you find this new vampire."

"Elena," Damon said, "It's not safe. Okay? Go to your thing at school."

"No," Elena said firmly. "Do you doubt your abilities to keep me safe? There's only one vampire, and a young one too, if you believe Steph."

Damon growled, but didn't protest anymore. "You're going to be the death of me," Was the only thing he said as they walked into the warehouse the compass was pointing to. It was dark and filled with boxes and miscellaneous junk. Damon took the lead, and so he was the only one that got shot up with wooden bullets when they heard a gun fire.

"Gah!" Damon shouted and sank to the ground.

"Damon!" Elena yelled, rushing to his side.

Logan Fell appeared out from behind a stack of boxes, twirling a gun in his hand.

"I have plenty more wooden bullets, so I wouldn't move if I were you," Logan said, then eyed Elena, "And I have no qualms shooting her either."

"Don't touch her," Damon hissed, ripping a bullet out of his leg.

"I won't. If she doesn't do anything stupid, like move," Logan said.

"You don't want to do this," Damon told him, "Trust me." Logan shot his shoulder and Elena screamed.

"Ow!" Damon shouted.

"That's what you get," Logan said, pacing closer to them.

"For what?" Elena asked.

"He turned me," Logan said simply.

Elena shot a sharp look at Damon, but her boyfriend said, "I killed him, you were there, Elena. I didn't turn you," He looked at Logan.

"I know what you and your brother are," Logan said, "I've been watching you, and now I've got some questions."

"Me first," Damon said, "Like, who the _hell_ turned you?"

.

.

.

"I didn't know that you drew," Stephanie said, watching as Jeremy walked up the art stand at Mystic Falls Career night.

"Eh, just a little. I mean, I did a lot before my parents died," Jeremy said, looking at the drawings. "I actually sketched some things a bit like this." Stephanie looked at the pictures of monsters that took up quite a bit of space on the stand.

"I think they're nice," Stephanie lightly touched one of the drawings, running her fingers over it. "Do yours look anything like this?"

"I've got my own style," Jeremy said.

"I bet they're good," Stephanie looked up at Jeremy's face. He smiled and bent down to kiss her, but Stephanie's phone rang. She slipped it out of her pocket and turned to the side. "Hello?" Jeremy sighed and shoved his hands into his jeans pockets.

"There's trouble."

"Damon? What's wrong? Did you find the vampire?" Stephanie asked urgently. Jeremy stepped a little closer to her, intrigued.

"Oh, I found one of them, alright," Damon's irritated voice replied.

"One of them?"

"You remember Logan Fell."

Stephanie rubbed the place the bullet had shot her, right in her ribs. "Yes," She said quietly. Jeremy looked at her curiously.

"Well, he's a vampire now. When I find him again, I'm going to destroy him, starting by tearing his limbs from his body very slowly."

"Are you alright?" Stephanie asked, alarmed.

"No. I was ambushed, I was shot, and now I'm vengeful. Elena had to help me rip the bullets out of my body. I need to find him, and quickly."

Stephanie caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye. "No need. I think I see him here at the High School, working the crowd."

"We'll be right there," Damon promised and hung up.

"What's going on?" Jeremy asked, and Stephanie pointed over to where she'd seen Logan. He was still there.

"He's supposed to be dead – he shot me with a wooden bullet and Damon killed him. Instead, he's a vampire and we don't know who turned him. He's caused your sister and Damon some trouble today," Stephanie explained.

Jeremy seemed to choke on something. "He shot you?"

Steph looked up at Jeremy, surprised. "Well, yeah, but-"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jeremy asked. Stephanie saw that he was masking his hurt.

"You didn't know about vampires when it happened, so I just didn't say anything. Can we talk about this in a minute?" Steph saw Logan Fell approaching them.

"What are you doing here?" Stephanie asked him when the other vampire reached them. Her features were hard.

"You know, your brother asked me the same thing," Logan said, "And in fact, why don't we skip passed all that who turned me stuff and you give me the answer to the question I want. How can I turn into a Daywalker?" Jeremy opened his mouth to say something scathing, but Steph put a hand on his arm to quiet him. She turned back to Logan.

"Damon and I are the only two that I know of," She crossed her across over her chest, staring up at Logan with disapproving eyes.

"You're both very cagey on the 'how,' which tells me there is a way," Logan said, his tone satisfied, "You know, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm quite the celebrity in town. It would be very, very easy for me to expose you." He leered at Stephanie, taking a step closer and bending his face down closer to hers.

Steph's eyes bored into Logan's as she said in an icy tone, "You wanna know how to walk in the sun?"

Eager, Logan nodded and said, "I do."

"You can't," Stephanie hissed, "Don't ever, threaten me, again." She glared at him as she brushed passed the new vampire with Jeremy on her heels. Once they were a bit of a ways away, Jeremy turned to his girlfriend.

"Stephanie," He started, "That was badass."

Steph blushed.

Jeremy looked up from her flushing face to something over Stephanie's shoulder. "Hey, look, it's Tyler."

"What about him?" Stephanie asked, nonplussed. She uncrossed her arms and looked up at Jeremy's face.

"He's the artist of those pictures you were admiring," Jeremy said. "I saw his name on them." Steph's eyebrows rose.

"Really?"

"Yeah, come on," Jeremy tugged Stephanie along with him as he waved Tyler down. The boy was in a dark jacket and looked to be in not the best of moods.

"Hey, man, I didn't know you drew," Jeremy said, walking next to him. Tyler gave Jeremy and Steph angry looks.

"It's an elective," Tyler said.

"'Cause it's good stuff," Jeremy continued, "You like graphics? 'Cause that's kind of like my thing." Stephanie smiled at his enthusiasm.

"Whoa," Tyler stopped and glared at Jeremy. "What are you doing?"

"Well, it's just something else we have in common," Jeremy said to him, hands shoved into his pockets. Stephanie idly wondered when Jeremy and Tyler had spoken to each other.

"And what's the other thing, Vicki?" Tyler raised his eyebrows. "'Let's be friends because we did the same chick?' Go be friends with one of the other guys that she did – there are plenty of them. And anyway, it looks like you've moved on from her pretty quickly to your little slutty friend." Stephanie raised her own eyebrows and opened her mouth to tell Tyler Lockwood where to shove it, when Jeremy launched himself at Tyler, throwing him into a locker. The sound of flesh hitting the metal made Steph flinch.

"Jeremy!" Steph hissed. "Stop!" She went forward to rip them off of each other when Major Lockwood gently pushed her aside.

"They're going to crush you if you try to stop them," He said as he and Alaric Saltzman moved in to separate the two boys. Stephanie tried not to be offended.

"Hey, cut it out you two," Mr. Saltzman said.

"Yeah. Follow me," Major Lockwood started to lead the two boys out.

"Excuse me, Mayor," Mr. Saltzman asked, "Where are you taking them?"

"To talk to them," Mayor Lockwood said, "All fights should end in handshakes, don't you think?" He left with the boys. Stephanie did not have a good feeling about that, and then she wondered where Logan Fell had gotten to.

Steph pulled out her cell phone as she started after her boyfriend, the Mayor and his kid. "Damon, Fell's gone out of sight."

"What? We just got here," Damon complained. "Meet me and Elena-"

"I can't," Stephanie said grimly, "Tyler Lockwood and Jeremy were fighting over my honor when Mayor Lockwood took them outside to 'talk.' I'm going to have to make sure it doesn't get bloody."

"'Your honor?' Am I going to have to beat someone up?" Damon asked. His voice said he was not kidding. Steph rolled her eyes.

"No, Damon, just find Logan. I'll take care of this." She ended the call and found Mayor Lockwood outside with Jeremy and Tyler.

"Get this out of your systems," Mayor Lockwood was saying to them, "Go on, and fight."

"You want us to what?" Jeremy asked with a tone of surprise.

"I'm not going to fight, Dad," Tyler said. He sounded tired as huddled up into his jacket and tried to sidestep his father.

"I don't think so, Sir," Jeremy said, but the Mayor blocked him.

"You'll fight in there, like pansies, but I'm taking it outside, where you can fight your battles like men, and move on," The Mayor said. "That's the lesson my dad taught me. So let's settle it."

Stephanie started towards them, but felt a hand on her arm. She spun around to see Mr. Saltzman. "Let me handle it, Miss Salvatore."

Stephanie narrowed her eyes. "I'd rather come with you."

"Fair enough." They both walked down towards the Mayor and the two teen boys.

"I said, fight," Steph saw the Mayor push his son towards Jeremy, and she ran to Jeremy's side.

He spotted her and said, "Stay out of this, Miss. It's might get messy and I don't think you should be involved."

"What's going on out here?" Mr. Saltzman asked.

"Just letting these two kids work things out," The Mayor said, "Just go back inside, and take the young lady with you."

"I don't want to go back inside, and I'm pretty sure the young lady would rather brawl right here with her boyfriend than follow me in," Mr. Saltzman said easily, "What I want is an answer to my question. What's going on out here?"

Mayor Lockwood turned back to him with an aggravated look sitting on his face. "Who do you think you're talking to? Do I look like a student?"

"No," Mr. Saltzman said, "You look like a full grown alpha male douche bag." Stephanie clapped her hands to her mouth to keep from laughing outright. Tyler tipped his head forward in shock, and Jeremy didn't bother to muffle his chuckles.

"You don't get to talk to me like that," Mayor Lockwood said. "I could have your job like this." He snapped his fingers, but Saltzman just laughed.

"You do that, and it'll be you and me in this parking lot working things out. You cool with that?" He asked.

The Mayor just glared, but backed off. "Just mark yourself." He herded his son back into the school, leaving Steph, Jeremy, and Mr. Saltzman. Stephanie took Jeremy's hand in hers and squeezed.

"You alright?" The History teacher asked. Jeremy laughed a little, but nodded his head. He and Stephanie headed inside.

.

.

.

Stephanie was in the Boarding House late that night when she finally got a call from Damon. She answered quickly, sitting up in her bed.

"Damon, where have you been? You never told me if you'd managed to get Logan or not-"

"Stephanie, shut up for a second," Damon said. His voice was off.

"What's wrong?" Steph asked immediately. "What happened? You okay?"

"I'm fine. Elena was in a car accident – a vampire was standing in the middle of the street waiting for her to crash into him."

"Is Elena alright?" Stephanie asked.

"Yeah, she's okay."

"Do we know who the vampire was?" Stephanie asked. "Logan?"

"No, I killed him earlier today," Damon said quickly, "This new guy just ran off when I showed up. Listen, you can handle things in town for a day, can't you?"

"Why?" Stephanie asked.

"Because Elena and I are on our way to Atlanta for little break. Call it a romantic getaway if you will. She wants to get out of Mystic Falls where she's being hunted, and I'm happy to oblige. So, what do say?" Damon wheedled, "Can you handle the home front?"

Stephanie fingered her cell phone, debating for a minute. She sighed. "Sure, okay, just don't stay away too long. We don't know if this vampire is the one that turned Logan or not."

"Don't worry, dear sister of mine," Damon teased, "Big brother will be back to protect you soon enough."

"I feel so safe," Steph deadpanned and hung up. She put her phone onto her night stand and lay down in bed. Her sheets were soft and comforting to her skin. The pillows on her bed were feather ones of the best quality – Damon was anal about few things in life: his alcohol, his bathroom, and bed comforts. Tomorrow she would worry about the vampire hunting down her friend. Right now she was glad that Logan Fell was in the ground, where he couldn't threaten her or her brother again.

.

.

.

Stephanie was woken up by the sound of her cell phone ringing. She lifted her head as she groped around her side table for the silly thing. Steph's fingers rushed against the plastic and leaden square and she held it up to her ear.

"Hello?" She murmured sleepily.

"You asleep? It's already nearly noon," A teasing voice said.

"Really?" Stephanie asked, blinking herself awake.

"Yeah. Are we still going to go to the library? My paper's just about done, but I'd like to see if I can't look a few last minute things up," Jeremy told her.

"Oh sure," Steph said. She got up from her bed and hastily threw some clean clothes on that matched. "I'll be right there."

"Okay, see you in a minute," Jeremy said.

"Bye," Stephanie hung up the phone and put her long hair into a messy bun and flashed down into the cellar for a blood bag. Her hunger was particularly stronger that morning, and her throat burned. Steph drank the blood without warming it. She sighed with relief and made sure to clean off before she headed back up the stairs.

Stephanie passed Zach on her way out, who asked, "Where are you off to today?"

"Library with Jeremy," Steph said, and waved at Zach before shutting the door. She decided to take her car and drove to the Gilbert's house. The day was beautiful; blue skies all around with only a few passing fluffy white clouds. The sunlight almost burned the vampire's eyes, but she just picked her sunglasses out of her purse and shoved them on her nose.

Stephanie ran out of the car and up the creaky steps of Jeremy and Elena's house to knock loudly on their thick door. Jenna answered a moment later, who looked genuinely pleased to see Stephanie.

"Hi, Jeremy will be out in just a second. I swear he was putting on cologne for you," Jenna winked and Steph smiled.

"Jenna, what are you telling Stephanie? Because, whatever it is, Steph," Jeremy said, running down the stairs, "it isn't true."

"Smells like the truth from where I'm standing," Stephanie said, and Jenna laughed.

"Have a good time at the library," She said, shutting the door behind them. Stephanie raised an eyebrow at Jeremy.

"She doesn't really believe that's where we're going. Jenna thinks we're going on a date date," He explained.

"Why don't we?" Steph asked spontaneously as they walked to the car.

"What?"

"Go on a date date? Sometime soon, I mean," Stephanie said. Jeremy opened the driver's door for her, and then slipped into the passenger's side.

"That would be great," Jeremy said, "But I want it to be a surprise. You'll never see when it's coming. I promise."

"Alright, Jere," Steph said, pleased. She drove them to the Mystic Falls Public Library in less than five minutes. When they got there, the two went up the stairs to the section Jeremy had been browsing for a few days now.

"I'll go find us a table to set up our books and your research at," Stephanie said, putting out her arm for Jeremy to put his backpack on. He obliged and stood, looking for a particular title. Steph left him to it and grabbed a fairly large work table and set his backpack on the table. She turned her head back and saw a dark headed girl who was only barely taller than her.

Stephanie narrowed her eyes.

The girl laughed at something Jeremy said, and he joined her laughter a moment later. Steph took a step forward, but stayed carefully out of sight. There was something familiar about her . . .

"Steph, come here for a minute," Jeremy called quietly. Steph stepped over to them, not having yet seen the stranger's face yet.

The girl turned around and both Stephanie and Anna took shocked breaths.

"Anna?" Steph stepped forward towards Jeremy, angling her body in between him and the other vampire.

"Stephanie Salvatore," Anna said, her eyes narrowing. "I've been watching you."

"Um, what's going on?" Jeremy asked. Steph's eyes flicked between Jeremy and Anna. Jeremy put himself on guard and carefully stepped closer to Stephanie.

"This is Anna," Steph said and pursed her lips, "From 1864. Hello, Anna. What do you want?"

Anna took a step back, putting a bit of space in between her and them. She raised her hands up in a placating gesture. "Since he already knows, apparently, I guess we can outright discuss things? Civilly?"

Steph narrowed her eyes. "Sure. I'll go first. Why were you watching me?"

"Just keeping an eye on the town," Anna said, putting her hands down to her sides. "I had to make sure no one would try and stop me, and who I could use to help. Jeremy happened to be one of the latter. And cute, too."

"He's off limits," Stephanie said sharply, "Keep your teeth out of him."

"Not to eat, Stephanie," Anna corrected. "To help me with something."

"What's that?"

"I need the Gilbert Journal," Anna said flatly.

"Why's that?" Stephanie asked, "What could possibly be in it that you'd need after all this time?" Her green eyes were on Anna's every movement.

"You'll try and stop me if I tell you," Anna said.

"Try me," Stephanie shot back. "And we'll see."

"I have to open the tomb under the church and there's a way mentioned in the Gilbert Journal," Anna said finally.

"Why would you possibly want inside the tomb under Fell's Church?" Stephanie asked, baffled, "There's nothing under there but ashes."

Anna quirked an eyebrow. "So Damon hasn't told you?"

Immediately Steph was suspicious, her spine straightening. "What would he have kept from me?"

The corners of Anna's eyes crinkled as she smiled. It was not a happy smile. "Damon didn't tell you. Well, that just figures. After all the vampires were rounded up in 1864," Her voice had dropped, causing Jeremy and Stephanie to huddle closer to the other vampire, "He went to Emily to try and save Katherine." The older vampire's name was spat out with venom. "Well, Emily couldn't just save one without saving all of the vampires, so she harnessed the energy from the comet passing over to cast a spell."

"What did it do?" Jeremy asked, spellbound by the story.

Anna said, "It sealed the tomb off from the rest of the world; closing the vampires inside, saving them from the fire . . ."

"But locking them inside so they could never get out," Stephanie finished quietly. "What was the spell originally tied to?"

"Katherine's necklace, which she gave to Emily before she was rounded up," Anna said, "But then Emily possessed Bonnie Bennett and destroyed the necklace, which would have had had the power with the new comet to open the tomb. Now I need another way to open it – so I can get my mother out."

Katherine's still alive. Katherine's been alive this whole time under the tomb and Damon has never whispered a word about it to her. He's lied to her. All. These. Years.

"If you open the tomb, the rest of the vampires will get out and ravage the town," Stephanie said, trying to clear her head. "I can't let you do that." Not if there's a chance that Katherine might get out.

"Do you know what happens to vampires if they're left without blood for a hundred and forty-five years, Stephanie?" Anna asked, her lip curling up in the corner in an unpleasant look. She didn't give Steph enough time to answer, "They desiccate. Mummify. Whatever the hell you want to call it – they won't be moving unless you feed them some blood. No one will get out of there unless we personally give them blood to start regenerating." The significance placed on 'no one' was hard to miss.

Stephanie frowned, and remembered a conversation with Emily when she'd possessed Bonnie. The necklace. He can't have it - it will cause destruction and despair. The one who tried to save her. Damn it. She should have asked Damon about that.

"Steph, you're not seriously considering this, are you?" Jeremy hissed.

Stephanie didn't let her eyes waver from Anna's suddenly hopeful face. "I'm not agreeing to anything, but if Anna swears that not a single thing leaves that tomb except for her mother, then . . . maybe we should help her."

Anna's face broke out into an exhilarated smile.

"Stephanie," Jeremy hissed, "What are you doing?"

"None of the other vampires will be able to get out if she just runs in and runs out with her mother," Stephanie hissed back. "No one will get hurt." Jeremy looked unhappy for a moment, but nodded.

"But," Steph whirled back to Anna, "I'm going to talk to my brother first. Nothing's been decided yet."

Anna gave Stephanie her phone number to call her as soon as she'd come to a decision. The other girl narrowed her eyes after, though, "Don't take too long, though. I have some friend who'd love to enjoy a bit of a . . . snack."

Stephanie narrowed her eyes. "Don't threaten my friends, Anna, or my family. Come to think of it," She pointed a finger at the other girl, "One of your friends tried to kill Elena Gilbert."

Anna nodded. "He's an idiot and has been punished."

"Did you turn Logan Fell?" Stephanie asked.

Anna nodded again and Stephanie stepped closer to the other girl. "He shot me with a wooden bullet and tried to kill me before he 'died.' Then he riddled Damon's entire body with them. He threatened to expose us."

"I know. I apologize," Anna said, not blinking. "I'll keep my other friends in line from now on."

"See that you do," Stephanie took Jeremy's hand in hers and towed him off back to their table and gathered his backpack and they left.

Stephanie waited until she'd dropped Jeremy back at his home and she was sitting in her living room having made sure Zach was out of the house before she called Damon.

"Hello, Steph," He answered, voice cheery.

"Shut the hell up," Stephanie's voice was ice cold.

"Steph?" Damon asked. He sounded confused. "What's going on up there?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Steph asked, her voice echoing hollowly in the Boarding House. Her hand squeezed the glass in her left hand. The flames in the fire caused shadows that danced across Steph's face.

"What are you talking about?" Damon asked, uncharacteristically serious.

"Why didn't you tell me Katherine was alive all this time? That she's been sitting in the tomb under the old church for a one hundred and forty-five years with the rest of them? Why did I have to find out from Anna from 1864?" Stephanie's fingers curled around the cell phone at her ear. "Tell me the truth."

"Do we really need to hash all this out?" Damon asked flatly.

"Yes."

"I loved her," Damon admitted, "I loved Katherine when they were rounding up all the vampires, so I went to Emily and asked her to do the spell. She said she'd do it if I protected her bloodline. So I promised I would. Then everything else happened – we turned and I killed our father and we moved on from Mystic Falls. You met Lexi and became best friends and Katherine was seemingly forgotten to you." Damon continued, "I couldn't forget her. I loved her for a very long time, and while we've been here, I almost decided to break the spell on the tomb. But I couldn't."

"Why not?" Stephanie asked through stiff lips. She put the shot glass down on the coffee table, unhappy with herself. "Why didn't you do it? I know what you got after your fight with Elena at the Founder's Party – Katherine's necklace."

"It's going to be corny and every worst cliché in the book," Damon warned her.

"Damon," Stephanie said flatly.

"I fell in love with Elena. I met her the night of her crash of her parents – before they died. I compelled her to forget that first time – which I've let her remember since, don't get your panties in a twist – and then I rescued her not fifteen minutes later. She looked like Katherine, I was intrigued, the works. Then I stalked her forever. Then we moved back here and I fell in love."

"What about when you got the crystal necklace?" Steph asked.

"I was pissed. I make bad decisions when I'm pissed," Damon admitted.

Stephanie breathed out, letting her anger go. "Does Elena know that she looks like Katherine? I've never thought to ask before."

"Yeah. I told her when I was explaining we were vampires. It was part of the reason she took so long to forgive me, I guess," Damon said.

"I expect so," Steph said dryly.

"Also, she's adopted," Damon said, "Not sure about whom from, yet. I haven't done all of my snooping yet."

"Really?" Stephanie asked, surprised. "I'd had no idea. Jeremy and Elena really look similar though."

"I know," Damon said, "That's why I'm so suspicious. Some kind of family drama or something." Stephanie leant back onto the couch. "Wait a minute. You called me because you'd heard about the tomb from . . . Anna?"

"Yes," Stephanie said. "She wants my help opening the tomb to free her mother. I said I'd think about it."

"You said you'd think about it!"

Stephanie had to hold the phone away from her ear as Damon yelled.

"No, no, no, no, and did I mention? NO!"

"Why not?" Stephanie asked. "She'd only have to run in and out. None of the other vampires would have to be let out. We can leave Katherine to rot. It's only what she deserves."

"Do I have to list out all the ways that can go wrong?" Damon asked. "Seriously, no. We're not helping her."

"I never said we had to help her," Stephanie said, "Only that I would think about it after I talked to you."

"And now you've talked to me and realized what a horrible mistake it all is," Damon said flatly.

"Besides, if I say no at this point," Stephanie warned, "Anna's liable to go to extreme measures to get what she wants. She admitted it was one of hers that attacked Elena, but she said he'd been 'punished.'"

"How many vampires does she have?" Damon asked with exasperation in his voice.

"Didn't say, but she'll need a witch, so Bonnie's in danger if I say no, Damon. Anna's threatened people already."

Damon sighed. "I leave for a single day . . . don't do anything until I get there. I'll bring Elena back. And a friend, too, so Bonnie and her grandmother can be left out of things."

"Thanks Damon," Stephanie said quietly, "I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"I would've been furious if it had been the other way 'round," Damon said easily.

.

.

.

Stephanie talked with Jeremy some more until he agreed to let Steph read the journal through to tell Anna how to open the tomb.

"When the whole tomb thing is over, maybe we can go out . . . ?" Stephanie appealed to Jeremy. The other boy just rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to surprise you," He said, and then he kissed her.

Stephanie read the journal, and she and Jeremy went to her father's plot and dug up Emily's old grimoire together.

"This is gross," Jeremy said flatly, "I'm putting that on the record right now."

Stephanie wrinkled her nose as she hit something hard in the dirt. "Right there with you," Steph agreed. She pulled out the grimoire and she and Jeremy quickly shoveled all of the dirt back onto Giuseppe's casket.

"You think Damon will be pissed to find out we went ahead with this without him?" Jeremy asked dubiously.

"Most definitely," Steph said.

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.

.

When Damon and Elena got back the day after Jeremy and Stephanie had dug up the grimoire needed, they told off their respective younger siblings for carrying on without them.

A tall dark headed woman stood in the Boarding House doorway, looking completely nonplussed. Her dark hair was wild, and her eyes were an eerie gold that slid around the interior of the house. One of her hands was placed on a hip, and Stephanie noticed the woman was very beautiful, but she had an aura of darkness surrounding her.

Damon saw Stephanie staring.

"That's an old friend of mine – Faye Chamberlain. Faye, this is my little sister, Stephanie. Play nice," He introduced. The woman – Faye – waved her fingers and stepped farther into the house.

"Where's the spell I'm doing?" Her voice was smoky and there was a sinister aspect to it.

"Let me call Anna," Stephanie said, "if we're doing this now. I'll tell her to meet us at the tomb." Everyone but the witch shifted uncomfortably on their feet. It was one thing to talk about, but quite another to actually open the tomb of twenty something vampires.

"You do that, sweetheart," Faye said, her tone mocking.

"Now, Faye," Damon warned half-heartedly. As Stephanie dialed Anna, she noticed how Damon tip-toed around the witch.

Elena whispered into Steph's ear, "We met another witch in Atlanta, but Damon said she wasn't powerful enough for the spell after you described it to us. Faye Chamberlain has an entire circle to channel in New Salem." She gave Stephanie a significant look. "But she's a little . . . much."

Stephanie could see that.

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.

.

"Let's do this, then," The amber eyed witch set up the grimoire and stood in the center of the torches they'd brought. Anna stood with Ben, Damon, and two packages of blood near the entrance to the tomb. Damon was going in to make sure she didn't bring anyone besides her mother out. Stephanie stood on the other side of the witch. Their two humans – the Gilbert's – had insisted on coming along as well, and stood with Stephanie.

"As soon as I tell you to," The witch, Faye, said, "You're going to run into the tomb and find your mother. I can hold this up for a limited amount of time, if you want to be able to lock the tomb again. So hurry."

Anna nodded.

Faye started to chant from the book, and Anna felt the magical interruptions in the air. "Go," The witch snarled, and Anna wasted no time darting into the tomb. She felt Damon come in after her. They ran down through the dark tunnels, and Anna searched every single mummified vampire she saw. Vaguely, she saw Damon look for someone too. Katherine, probably.

Well, Anna thought, she'll just let the Salvatore's go on with the impression that their turner was still in here until Damon inevitably found out.

"Found you," Anna murmured. Her mother was almost unrecognizable, but still undeniably her mom. "Here you go," She whispered and started to pour the blood into Pearl's mouth.

"She's not here," Damon suddenly said. "Katherine's not here."

"I knew that," Anna said distractedly, "I saw Katherine in Chicago in 1983. If she'd wanted you, she'd have come for you by now. I just thought I'd leave that bit out until I got my mother out."

"Why?" Damon demanded.

"Motivation, just in case you still had a thing for her. Then you'd have moved the earth and the sun to help me get into here," Anna didn't see the point in lying.

Damon swiped one of the blood bags and tossed it across the tomb. It splattered on impact against the wall "You lied," Damon said flatly.

"By omission," Anna said, helping up her barely mobile mother. "Let's go; you just ruined the rest of my mother's dinner." Damon continued to curse at her all the way up to the tomb entrance, but his voice grew softer with each curse.

They stepped out of the tomb, and Faye stopped chanting. She wiped her forehead and smirked at them.

"Got your old lady; good. You won't need this anymore," Faye grabbed the grimoire and made a break for it out of the tomb. Anna, Ben, and Pearl didn't care, so they simply disappeared. Stephanie ran after Faye, but stopped short, falling to her knees and clutching her head and screaming.

"Stephanie!" Jeremy and Elena ran to her side, but Damon charged after the witch.

"You swore," Damon told her.

"I swore that I would help your little friend; I didn't say anything about not stealing a precious grimoire. Do you realize how much things are worth to my kind?" Faye asked, lips quirking. "They contain power, and Emily Bennett was one hell of a powerful witch. I want that, Damon, but don't worry. I won't bother you and your little friends in Mystic Falls."

Damon cursed loudly as Faye spelled him still.

"Just until I leave in my getaway car, you understand," The woman said and disappeared into the woods.

"Double crossed by an ex-lover," Damon muttered to himself. "Karma's a bitch." He was able to move a moment later, and he doubled back to check on Stephanie and the others.

"How is she?" Damon demanded. Stephanie blinked up at him.

"I'm fine now – she just gave me the worst head ache in my entire life. It was like someone was ripping through my head . . ." Steph trailed off and Elena rubbed her shoulder.

"What do we do about Faye?" Elena asked grimly.

"Let her go," Damon said bluntly, "She's a powerful witch."

"Damon!" Elena protested.

"No, Elena," Damon said seriously, "Her coven will rein her in. Don't worry about it."

Elena still looked upset, but said no more on it as she, Jeremy, and Steph headed back to their homes for the night. Damon took a little detour, before coming home to check on his little sister.

"Hey," He greeted. Stephanie was sitting up at her desk, writing in her diary.

"Hi," She responded quietly, then looked up. "Do you really think Faye won't come back here?"

"Not unless she wants another piece of this sexy beast," Damon drawled, walking inside and flopping on Steph's bed.

"Seriously, Damon. Do we need to worry about her?"

"Nah," Damon waved off her concerns. "Faye's got a whole bunch of goodie-goodie witches in her coven of thirteen. Her cousin Diana will give read her the riot act, and probably send the grimoire back through mystical means. No need to worry. But that's not why I came in here."

Steph frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"Depends on your definition of 'wrong,'" Damon said, leaning on the door hinge.

"Damon," Steph said flatly. "Just tell me."

"Katherine wasn't in the tomb with the rest of the vampires," He said quietly. His eye lashes fluttered as he looked down to the ground.

"What?" Stephanie asked. "How is that possible?"

"I went to ask Anna about it. She guesses that Katherine charmed one of the guards at the church when they were putting the vampires in the tomb. It's one of the only explanations," Damon said, "On the bright side, because she's not come yet, she probably won't ever come. So, need to worry about her ruining things here."

Stephanie sighed, but conceding to let it go. She couldn't worry about everything, after all.

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.

.

It was a dark night, and Stephanie and Damon were at the Mystic Grill. They sat next to each other at the bar and Damon told Steph what he knew about Elena's mother.

"So, basically, you know nothing except for the fact that her mother's name is Isobel?" Stephanie asked. She sniffed Damon's drink and pulled a face. "That's foul. What even is it?"

Damon sipped it. "We know that a young woman arrived just in time to give birth and only left her name – Isobel – before disappearing, never to return." Damon rolled his eyes, "So then Grayson and Miranda Gilbert adjusted some things on the birth certificate and bam – baby Gilbert. And no, I'm not sure what this is."

Stephanie rolled her own cup of coffee between her hands, warming them. "Was she a teenager?"

"Yup," Damon smacked his lips. "Do you see that man sitting a few seats down from us? No, don't turn around and look at him!"

Stephanie felt like rolling her eyes, but simply looked for the man out of her peripheral vision. "You mean Alaric Saltzman, the new History teacher?"

"So that's his name," Damon murmured. "He's been watching me since he walked into the Grill an hour ago." Steph narrowed her eyes.

"There's something weird about him," She said quietly to her older brother. "Have you seen his ring? It's eerily similar to ours."

"I'm going to chaperone the 50s dance," Damon said abruptly, "Keep an eye out for him. And make sure Anna doesn't show up."

"I thought she'd left," Stephanie said quietly, taking a swig of coffee. She made a face at the taste. "Too bitter," She murmured.

"No," Damon said, irritated, "She and her mother are hanging around. Don't know what for."

"What about that Ben character?" Steph asked. "He's practically a baby. And there's another one, too, unless it was Ben that made Elena crash?"

"He's very new," Damon agreed, "And still with them. Also, no, he wasn't." He swirled the amber liquid in his glass. "Mr. Teacher still staring?" Damon asked out of the corner of his mouth.

"Yes," Stephanie said.

"Right, well, he's going to stop that after the dance," Damon declared.

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.

.

The 50s dance wasn't as bad as it could have been, Damon thought, but it certainly wasn't that much fun. Jeremy had actually gotten Stephanie to dance, and Damon had shown Elena some amazing (if he did say so himself) moves. Then, Alaric Saltzman introduced himself to Damon.

"I don't recognize you from parent-teachers conferences," Alaric said to him in opening, "How did you get roped into chaperoning?"

I bet you don't, Damon thought.

"I'm Alaric Saltzman, the new History teacher," Alaric continued and held out his hand, which Damon took and shook in his.

"Aw, the uh, cursed faculty position," Damon said dryly.

"So I've been told," Alaric smiled.

"Damon," Damon introduced, "Salvatore."

"Ah, Salvatore," Alaric said, "As in, Stephanie?"

"That's my little sister," Damon said, turning to face the dancing teenagers. "I'm her legal guardian, hence the chaperoning."

"What about the uncle you guys live with?" Alaric asked carefully.

Damon waved a hand. "I was of age when our parents died, so I filed for guardianship. We only moved here for familiarization, and Zach invited us to stay with him."

Alaric nodded and smiled. "I've heard Stephanie's very bright, not that I've had the chance to see that for myself."

"Well," Damon said, "Her attendance record's a little spotty," He explained, "Family drama."

"You guys live here before your parents passed?" Alaric asked.

"On and off," Damon said vaguely, "Travel a bit."

"Really?" Alaric probed, "Where? Around the state?"

Damon paused, and turned his head slowly to stare at the man carefully. Alaric saw the look and laughed his questions off.

"I'm sorry," He laughed, "Nosy, I don't mean to pry. It's just that I thought I recognized you, is all."

Damon quirked an eyebrow. "From where?"

"Duke University," Alaric said, his eyes unnaturally bright. "My wife and I went there."

"Oh?" Damon asked.

"Yeah. Her name was Isobel. Beautiful woman – long dark hair and big dark eyes," Alaric said. His gaze pierced through Damon.

Damon's eyes narrowed, "I was in Duke for a little while. Met a lovely woman and hit it off."

"Oh?" Alaric asked.

"Yeah. Lovely thing – sweet. Was interested in . . . otherworldly things," Damon said.

"What ever happened to her?" Alaric asked, stiffening.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure she found what she was looking for," Damon said vaguely, "She always seemed to be searching for . . . more. Seemed to be looking for eternity."

"What was her name?" Alaric asked. His eyes were dead on Damon's.

"Oh, I don't even remember," Damon said, waving his hand, "Bella or something."

"Well," Alaric said abruptly, "I hope you enjoy the rest of the dance. Have a nice night, Damon." He walked away and Damon's eyes followed the man as he walked across the gymnasium floor.

"That was suspicious," Stephanie's voice said from behind him. Damon was startled, but let none of his surprise show on his face as he turned around to greet his sister. She was dressed in one of her outfits from the actual 50s, though it had to have been mended before use again.

"Wow, you're wearing high heels," Damon teased, "You're maybe . . . what? Five foot four now?" Stephanie glared and hit Damon's shoulder.

"What? It's true. You were gifted with short genes – I remember Mother was around your height when you were a toddler," Damon teased.

"So," Stephanie said, moving on and changing the subject. "Did that seem like an interrogation to you, or was it just me?"

"Oh, Alaric was definitely fishing," Damon said. "Something to do with us wife."

"Why would you know anything about his wife?" Steph asked.

"He seemed to recognize me from Duke," Damon said. "I was at Duke once. Ran into this beautiful woman with long dark hair and big dark eyes."

Stephanie's eyes narrowed. "Did Alaric recognize you?"

"Don't know how," Damon said. "I only met his wife, Isobel. She was obsessed with vampires and asked me to turn her – so I did."

"You're an idiot," Stephanie said. "He probably knows it was you. What do you think he's doing in Mystic Falls? Alaric's probably interested in avenging her 'death.'"

"Don't worry about it," Damon said. He'd worry about the History teacher later, "Where's Elena, by the way? She's usually in trouble by now, dear sister."

"She's your girlfriend," Stephanie said, "And you lost her? And don't change the subject."

"She's your girly friend, and you lost her? I'll change the subject if I want to." Damon quirked an eyebrow when Stephanie shoved his shoulder. "You know, your strength may be enhanced as a vampire, but I'm still stronger than you because I'm bigger. That little shove? Was like a fly head-butting my arm." Stephanie scowled, and Bonnie and Caroline came rushing to their place by the refreshment table, Jeremy following quickly.

"Steph, Damon," Caroline said hurriedly, "You have to come quickly."

"What's wrong?" Stephanie asked, the smile melting off of her face.

"It's Elena," Bonnie said grimly. "Some vampire's out there chasing her around the school – it's like he's playing with her or something." Damon scowled and led the three girls and Jeremy on the Elena-hunt.

They found her in the cafeteria, fending off a vampire in a hooded sweatshirt. He was leaning in the bite her neck when Stephanie charged at the vampire, throwing him off of her friend. Bonnie and Caroline were back by the entrance doors, hesitant to enter. Damon had no such qualms, but urged Jeremy to stay with them at the doors. He picked up the wooden mop Elena looked to have snapped in half.

"Hey, dickhead," Damon said and the vampire turned to look at him. "Nobody wants to kill you." Damon tilted his head to the side. "Well, actually, that was a lie." The vampire charged for Elena again, and so Damon tossed the halved wooden mop to Stephanie, who shoved the splintered end into the vampire's stomach. Caroline put a hand to her mouth.

"I'm going to be sick," She muttered, and left the room quickly. Bonnie trailed after when it looked that the Salvatore's had everything in hand. Jeremy ran to Elena's side, and the older girl took his hand in hers as soon as he was standing next to her.

"You feel like talking?" Steph asked.

"Screw you," The vampire replied, and Stephanie pushed the mop deeper into the other vampire's intestines.

"Wrong answer," Stephanie growled. "Why are you doing this? Why toy with Elena?" Damon made his way over to them, and pulled Steph back and took her place in front of the vampire. Stephanie stepped back and stood next to Jeremy. He proffered his other hand to her, which Steph took. She squeezed it lightly.

"Because it's fun," The vampire answered.

Damon smirked and shoved the mop in deeper. "What do you want with Elena?" Damon asked.

"She looks like Katherine," The vampire said. Elena's mouth fell open.

"You knew Katherine?" Damon asked with doubt coloring his tone.

"You thought you two were the only ones? I bet you don't even remember me," The vampire said.

Damon growled, "Was the fact that Elena looked like Katherine the only reason you were bothering her?"

"Yes," He hissed.

"Were you the one that caused Elena's car accident?"

"Yes."

"And are you one of Anna's vampires?"

"She doesn't know I'm here, but yes," The vampire said.

"Okay, we're done here, then," Damon ripped the splintered mop out, making the other vampire scream, and then staked him. The male vampire mummified. Elena walked into Damon's arms, and he comforted her. Stephanie caught sight of Alaric Saltzman in the hallway, peering inside.

"I'll take care of it," Stephanie said, letting her brother and friend have their time. When Jeremy made like he was going to follow, Steph waved him back. He ignored her, and they followed Alaric outside of the cafeteria and stopped in front of him.

Steph felt her eyes dilate and she compelled her History teacher, "What were you doing?"

His eyes blanked. "Looking for Mrs. Hilton."

"Why are you in Mystic Falls?"

"Taking a job as a teacher."

"Do you know what my brother Damon and I are?"

"You're a student here at Mystic Falls High School and your older brother is your guardian," Alaric droned.

"Are you telling me the truth?"

"Yes," Alaric murmured.

"Then forget you saw Elena, Damon, Jeremy, and I, and this conversation," Stephanie said. Alaric blinked, and Steph flashed back to the cafeteria with Jeremy. The body of the vampire was gone, but Caroline and Bonnie were back and on either side of Elena. Damon caught sight of Stephanie and inclined his head.

"I'm going to go find Anna and Pearl and tell them about their little friend," Damon said. "You want to come with me as I intimidate them?"

"Pearl and Anna are at least five hundred years old each, Damon," Stephanie said, "You're not going to intimidate anyone."

Damon rolled his eyes.

"But I'll come with you to make sure you don't get yourself killed," Stephanie finished. She kissed Jeremy quickly and left with Damon.

.

.

.

The confrontation at Anna and Pearl's went better than it would have if Stephanie had not gone with Damon. She prevented him from making enemies with the most powerful vampires on the block, as it were. When they got back to the Boarding House, no one was home.

"That's weird," Stephanie murmured. "Zach's not usually out this late."

"Who cares?" Damon drawled, "He's a grown man – he can do whatever the hell he wants to do."

Stephanie shot Damon a dark look. "There are other vampires in this town, you know."

Damon cupped one of his ears. "Who was just saying that 'we should trust Pearl and Anna to leave us alone,'? They're not going to kill Zach," Damon titled his head to the side. "Not that it would be a great loss, mind you." Stephanie slapped Damon upside the head.

"You remember that conversation about Alaric and Isobel? Not over yet," Stephanie said.

"Why not?" Damon whined.

"Because the man's probably going to come after you, if you're he suspects you of murdering or turning his wife or whatever."

Damon rolled his eyes. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Night." Damon said and went up to his room for the night. Stephanie followed him up and went to her own bedroom.

But for the life of her, Stephanie couldn't get the thought that something was wrong out of her head.

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.

_6:17 p.m., after Stephanie and Damon left the Boarding House_

Zach Salvatore was used to living alone. He'd never married; he had always been afraid of Uncle Damon, whether he admitted it to himself or not, and was terrified of what the vampire would do to his family. He loved his Aunt Stephanie; he trusted her more than Damon, but he knew that she wouldn't be able to protect any family Zach had from Damon, should the vampire decide to be vengeful about one thing or another.

So, being used to living alone, Zach took the arrival of his two new house guests about as well as could be expected. He left home a lot, devoting most of his time to the Town Council, and helping out Sheriff Liz Forbes. He grew the Vervain. He learned to defend himself.

But Zach couldn't hang around the Sheriff's office all day and couldn't devote all of his time to the Town Council or even his job. So he took long walks around his property, and sometimes wandered into Fell's Church. The area was historical, and a very interesting place to observe, and was good to learn some history.

The man wasn't stupid, however – he always brought a gun with him, loaded with wooden bullets just in case, when he went on these walks by himself. His aunt and uncle knew nothing about his explorations, and Zach intended to keep it that way.

When Damon and Stephanie had gone to the 50s dance with the Gilbert children, Zach took one of his walks down to Fell's Church. He immediately felt something off.

He heard something crack.

Zach spun around to see a black man dressed in period clothing. He looked half-starved and dirtier than a pig that had been rolling around in its sty.

"I'm sorry," The man murmured, and before Zach could scream of get his gun up, he felt a nasty burn in his neck and then nothing.

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.

.

tbc


	4. SAIL; this is how i show my love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Lord help the mister that comes between me and my sister . . ."
> 
> \- Irving Berlin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for language and mentions of torture later on. Nothing more graphic seen than what was shown in the episode "Let the Right One In," 1X17, but there are mentions/insinuations of non-con.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any quotes borrowed/altered.

"When can I open my eyes?" Stephanie asked. She tried to peek passed Jeremy's fingers covering them, but he stopped her.

"Eh, eh. In just a . . . minute," Jeremy told her. "And, now." He lifted his hands and Stephanie's eyes blinked rapidly. "Damon let me borrow the boarding house," Jeremy explained and looked at his feet.

The Boarding House kitchen's lights had been dimmed and the table had been set using some of their best China dishes. Beautiful blood red candles lit the room, and sat in the center of the mahogany table, which had a lovely table cloth placed on it.

"Is that . . . is that from 1864?" Stephanie murmured, and looked at the table cloth which had fancy embroidery on the ends.

"Yeah," Jeremy flushed, "So's the China – Damon said it was all your mother's, from France. Do you . . . do you like everything?"

"Jere, it's amazing," Steph smiled and the dimples so rarely seen on her face were glimpsed at the corners of her mouth.

"Thanks," Jeremy said, and pulled out a chair for Stephanie. "Ladies first?"

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.

.

"Alaric's wife might have been your birth mother?" Damon asked incredulously.

"It can't be true, the coincidence alone is crazy," Elena told him. They were in her room, Damon having come over after Jeremy had taken over the Boarding House for his and Stephanie's romantic day. "I have the address," Elena continued, "Of Trudie – Isobel's friend."

"You want to go visit the lady?" Damon asked.

"I don't know," Elena said. "If they're the same person, it means that my birth mother is dead, and I don't know if I can handle that."

Damon hummed. "Did Jenna tell you anything about Teacher's wife?"

"Just that she was killed, and that the case was already solved," Elena said. "Do you know something?"

Damon pursed his lips. "Maybe?"

"Damon," Elena said warningly. "What is it that you know?"

Damon hemmed and hawed for a few more minutes, before sighing. "Alaric's wife isn't dead."

Elena gasped. "How do you know that?"

"Because she came to me when I was visiting Duke University years ago and knew what I was. She asked me to turn her, so I did," Damon admitted.

"Damon!" Elena hissed. "How could you?"

"Look," Damon placated, "We don't even know if it's the same woman, do we? And even if it is, how was I supposed to know anything back then? You can't blame me for something I did before I knew you existed."

Elena rubbed her forehead. "So you really don't know if they're the same woman?"

"They could be," Damon said. "But we won't know unless you find out some more about your birth mother. This Trudie chick could have all the answers."

Elena sighed. "I just don't know what I want to do yet." Her face tightened and so Damon enfolded her into his arms, holding her tight. In the back of his mind, Damon thought back to the woman he'd met at Duke University. If Alaric's wife was Elena's mother, he was screwed.

So, so screwed.

.

.

.

Elena had disappeared, and Damon bet that instead of waiting for him to go with her, she'd gone ahead without him to Trudie's. Instead of tracking her down however, he went to the bar. He figured she probably would want some time alone with the woman. Damon could just picture Stephanie teasing him about this, about being empathetic.  Damon headed to the Grill so Elena could spend some time with her mother's friend.  It was by chance that Alaric was at the Grill too.  Not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, Damon sat down next to the man.

"Bourbon," He ordered, and the bar tender nodded his head.

"Behold," Damon drawled, "The _teacher_."

"Damon."  Rick was unimpressed

"Papers to grade?" Damon asked as the bar tender poured him his drink.  Alaric took a sip of his own.

"It's more fun with a buzz," Alaric explained.

"Well, most things in life are," Damon said. "Sober's just . . . depressing."  He sighed dramatically.  

"You don't strike me as someone who gets depressed," Alaric said.  He rolled his eyes and sank deeper into his bar stool.  

"You say that like you know me," Damon drawled.

"Oh." Alaric nodded his head sarcastically. "Just a hunch." He gave Damon a side-long look, and Damon slowly turned his head to look at him. "You have a good afternoon," Alaric said as he rose to leave.

"Not likely," Damon called after him. He slumped back into his stool.

"Having a day drink?" Damon looked over to see Sheriff Forbes standing behind him in the place Alaric had just vacated.

"Well, you know how it is . . . I . . . don't even have an excuse," Damon said, "Have a seat?"

"Actually, I really just need a favor, Damon," Liz said, "There's bachelor raffle tonight at the Fundraiser and we're short a bachelor. I was hoping you'd consent to enter," She added hopefully.

Damon held up a finger, "While being in a room filled with clamoring women baying for my attention sounds tasty and appealing, I have a girlfriend. And we may have hit a rough patch in our relationship, so I really don't want to screw anything up."

Liz deflated. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Damon said firmly.

"Thank you anyway," Liz told him, "Well, I've got to go and try to find someone else then."

"Before you leave," Damon said, "Could you look into a few things for me?"

"What is it?" Liz asked, concerned.

"Could you look into Alaric Saltzman's background? He seems a little fishy to me," Damon said, "I just want to make sure that the school did their homework before hiring the man to teach our children."

"Sure, of course," Liz nodded.

"And one other thing," Damon beckoned Liz forward a little, and the sheriff came closer. "It would seem Uncle Zach's gone missing. Neither Stephanie nor I have seen him since the night before last. We're understandably worried," Damon said.

Liz's face was creased into a concerned frown. "Of course. He's been a tremendous help with the Council and when he didn't show up for a little while, I'd thought he'd just been sick. But I'll get right on that. Thank you for drawing my attention to it, Damon. I'll do the best I can to find him." Liz left, leaving Damon by himself at the bar.

Stephanie had been the one worried about Zach – the only thing Damon was concerned about was if Anna and Pearl and Ben had been feeding on the townsfolk. His phone ran and Damon saw that it was Elena. He drained his glass before answering.

"Hello?" Damon asked.

"Damon," Elena's voice was a little shaky. "I went to go see Trudie Peterson. I'm sorry I didn't-"

"I know," Damon said.

"What?" Elena sounded surprised. "How?"

"I had a hunch," Damon said.

"Well, she knows. Trudie knew about Vervain and vampires, and it can't be a coincidence," Elena said.

Damon nodded into his phone. "So it's looking more and more like Alaric's Isobel is your Isobel."

"Yes," Elena breathed. "It is. I know what my birth mother looks like – Jenna showed me a picture. Could you – could you look at it and tell me if you recognize the picture? I just – I need to know if it's the same woman."

"Sure," Damon said, "I'm leaving the Grill now – they're setting up for some Fundraiser or another. I'll meet you in your bedroom."

"The Fundraiser's tonight? I completely forgot," Elena sounded frustrated. "I was supposed to go."

"So we'll go after we confirm if it's your mother that I turned," Damon said. "Not a big deal. Bye, sweetheart," He sang.

.

.

.

Stephanie enjoyed the romantic meal that Jeremy had planned, and loved the forethought and planning he'd done just for her. It was sweet.

After it, they talked and enjoyed each other's company, basking the feeling that nothing was going wrong.

"That's probably because I made Damon and Elena swear not to call us today," Jeremy said unapologetically.

Stephanie raised an eyebrow. "What if there's an emergency?"

"If it's something they can't handle, they'll call us," Jeremy assured, "But don't worry. Everything's going to be fine. Hey," He added, "you didn't want to go to that fundraiser, did you?"

"No," Steph smiled a little, and then asked mischievously, "Would you like to come see my room?"

Jeremy quirked the corner of his mouth. "I'd love to."

.

.

.

Elena and Damon walked to the Mystic Grill, the former discreetly wiping tears away with her sleeve.  He wrapped a hand around her wrist to both slow her down and to comfort.

"For the record," Damon told her quietly, "I'm sorry it was your mother. And I don't just apologize to anyone."  He offered a half-smile.

Elena breathed slowly, shaking her head, "Don't, Damon. Just . . . don't. I _know_ that you're sorry."

"At least she's not dead?" Damon tried to console.

"There's that," Elena said dryly and she choked up a little. "She'd rather be a vampire than my mother?  Who . . . who chooses life forever other their own child?"  Damon gathered Elena into his arms, but she stilled.

"What is it?" He asked.

"That man," Elena said, disentangling herself.  Her eyes were locked on a man across the street, transfixed.  "I saw that man outside of Trudie's."  Damon's gaze swept the front of the Grill, landing on the man that had captured Elena's attention.

"Get inside, Elena," Damon said, pushing her a little towards the door. The man walked towards them, and as Elena was walking inside, he called out to her.

"I have a message for you," He said. Elena and Damon froze in unison. 

"What?" Elena asked.

"Who the hell are you?" Damon asked. He stepped in front of Elena to shield her with his body.

"'Stop looking for me,'" The man relayed.

"Stop looking for what?" Elena demanded, shoving Damon out of her way.  She wanted answers and this man seemed to be the only one willing to provide anything.

"She doesn't want to know you," The man said, "And she doesn't want to talk to you."

Damon felt his temper rising. "Isobel," He said flatly.

"She wants you to stop looking for her," The man continued, "Do you understand?"

"Not a problem," Damon snarled, but Elena shushed him.

"She's alive?" She asked and her voice cracked with emotion.  

"He's under compulsion, Elena," Damon said, peering closely at the man.  "He won't do anything else until you agree."

"Do you understand?" He repeated.

"Yes," Elena said quickly, "I understand."

"Good." He looked the side of him. "I'm done now." He stepped backwards into traffic.  Moments later, a truck flew by, hitting him head-on and sending the man crumbling to the pavement.  Elena screamed once in surprise while Damon held still. The paramedics were called and he people on the street was crowding around the body.

"Stay put," Damon said quietly, and then he flashed over to the body and took his cell phone out of his pocket. He walked back to Elena, and put a finger to his lips for silence.

"Let's go back to Boarding House," Damon said quietly.  Elena nodded, and let Damon whisk her away from the Mystic Grill.  When they walked into the Salvatore home, they saw the remains of what looked to be a very romantic dinner.

"I wonder how that went," Elena thought aloud. "Jeremy was so excited."

"Well, we're going to have to rain on their parade," Damon said unapologetically. Elena would have scolded him, but was still too shell shocked by the day's events. "I'll go see if they're upstairs," Damon continued. Elena nodded and settled herself in on the couch. A few minutes later, Damon walked back down the steps, a disheveled looking Stephanie and Jeremy in toe.

"Hey, 'Lena," Jeremy greeted. "How was . . . whatever you guys were doing today?"

"That's what we've got to catch up on," Damon said. "It's like this . . ."

.

.

.

After the Gilbert's had gone home, the Salvatore siblings settled into their living room.

"I'm really worried about Zach," Stephanie murmured, "He's never done anything like this. I thought we were getting along."

Damon rolled his neck. "I asked Liz to open an investigation," He admitted, "And it wasn't because I miss or anything, so don't get any ideas. You just seemed . . . distraught that he was gone."

Steph smiled a little. "Thank you, Damon."

"Any time, dear sis . . ." Damon froze mid word.

"What is it?" Stephanie asked.

"Are you really this stupid?" Damon asked, rising. Stephanie turned around in her seat and saw Alaric standing there with a wooden stake in his hand. He said nothing, but glared. "I guess so," Damon said.

"Why wait this long?" Stephanie asked, rising as well.

"You've had to have known what happened to your wife– I practically told you on the night of the decade dance," Damon drawled.

"I wanted to make sure," Alaric said carefully. "Now I am."

Damon set his glass down on the end table and rushed Alaric, shoving him through the air and he landed in front of the fire.

"Damon," Steph warned, "Don't do anything rash." He ignored her.

"Where's Isobel? What have you done to my wife?" Alaric asked, scrabbling up from the ground. Damon paced the room like the predator he was.

"What do you want me to tell you? That I killed her? Would that make you happy?" Damon asked, "I think you know what happened to her."

"I saw you feeding on her," Alaric growled.

"Yeah, I did," Damon admitted. "She was delicious, by the way."

"Damon," Stephanie hissed. "Stop."

Alaric rushed Damon again, but Damon just shoved him again. "What do you think I did to her? Any ideas at all? It's not hard to figure out. I turned her."

"Why?" Alaric asked. Stephanie tensed by the couch, wondering when or if she should interfere.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told Elena – she came to me. Isobel wanted to be a vampire, so I said yes. What did I care if a beautiful young woman wanted to be a vampire if she'd done all her homework?"

Alaric snarled and charged Damon a third time – with the stake in hand and outstretched towards Damon's heart. Steph tensed, but Damon simply grabbed the stake and twisted it out of Alaric's grip and stabbed the human with it himself, killing the man. Alaric dropped onto the carpet in front of the fire.

"Damon," Stephanie said, aghast, "You didn't have to kill him."

"I did," Damon hissed back, "Obviously the last time you tried to compel him, it didn't work – he was on Vervain."

Stephanie resisted the urge to hit Damon, and a hint of movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.

"What the . . . ?" Steph walked towards Alaric's prone form. His fingers twitched again. "Damon . . ."

"What now, Stephanie?" Damon asked.

"Look," She pointed and Damon rolled his eyes, but followed the gesture. Alaric's body twitched more violently, and then he was sitting up and gasping air into his lungs. Damon's eyebrows shot up.

Stephanie rushed to Alaric's side. "Alaric?"

He gasped.

"You didn't turn him," Stephanie said to Damon.

"I didn't," He agreed.

"My ring," Alaric gasped, "It saved me."

"Impossible," Damon scoffed.

"I know," Alaric breathed. "But Isobel gave it to me before she . . . left." The three exchanged wary glances with each other.

"Well, this is new," Damon said flatly.

"You're telling me," Alaric said. He stood on shaky legs. "I'm going to go." He started towards the front door, but Damon sped in front of him.

"I don't think so. Not until we figure out what's going on with that ring," Damon said.

Stephanie flashed to Damon's side and took his shoulder into a firm grip. "Let him go, Damon," She said, then turned to Alaric, "You're not going to try to kill us again. Right?"

Alaric nodded his head slowly. "You leave me alone and I'll leave you alone," He raised his chin. "Promise." Stephanie nodded, and pulled Damon aside and let Alaric run out of the Boarding House.

"Stephanie!" Damon hissed, "What was that?"

"Damon," Steph said, "He has a magic ring that can bring him back to life. Making enemies with him is a bad idea – or, in your case, worse enemies. Just leave him alone and stop mentioning Isobel around the man." Damon huffed angrily a stalked over to his liquor stash and poured himself a glass.

Seeing the victory for what it was, Stephanie walked up to her room.

"How was the date?" Damon called up quickly.

"Good," Steph said smiling.

"My baby sister better still be a virgin!" Damon hollered.

Stephanie flushed blood red, but turned around and asked, "Who said I was a virgin before I met Jeremy?" She gave Damon a smirk before heading up to her room. Steph heard Damon splutter indignantly the entire evening.

.

.

.

"We found your Uncle Zach's body."  Those were not the first words Damon wanted to hear when he woke up in the morning.  Was it too much to ask for a single day with no trouble or drama?

"What?" Damon asked suspiciously, "What happened to him?"

"Attacked by a vampire right outside of Fell's Church. He was barely four yards away from the entrance to the old tomb under the church," Liz said regretfully. "He's been dead approximately four days now, Damon. I'm sorry for your loss."

Damon frowned. He hadn't particularly cared for the man, but Zach had been family, and Steph cared for him a great deal.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I have to break the news to Steph," Damon said finally. "Do I need to come down to the morgue and identify him?"

"No, he had a positive ID on his body," Liz said, "I imagine a lawyer will be by later to read you his will. Is there anything you need?"

"No. Thank you, Liz," Damon said, "I'm glad you found him." He hung up the phone and went into Stephanie's room. His sister was in her bed, buried under blankets. Her diary was a few feet from her a bed – it looked as if she'd been writing in it just before she went to sleep.

"What do you want, Damon?" Steph asked, her voice muffled.

"It looks like Faye didn't respell the tomb after she let Pearl go," Damon said.

"What?" Well, that woke her up fast. Stephanie jack-hammered forward, her green eyes wider than Damon had seen in a long time. "Why do you think that?"

"Zach's body was found in front of the tomb, drained of blood. Either the placement was random, or all the tomb vampires are out," Damon said. He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. I know you . . . cared for him."

Stephanie turned her green eyes onto Damon. "He was family, Damon," Her voice was anguished. "He was our nephew. I loved him."

"Don't cry, please, please don't cry," Damon said, but tears gathered into his little sister's eyes. He groaned, but walked over to her bed and gathered Steph into his arms.

"What a way to start a morning, huh?" Damon asked halfheartedly. Stephanie sniffled and clung tighter to Damon. "Yeah, I know, not the time." He squeezed her closer. He leant his face into his sister's brown hair and rested his cheek onto her head.

They sat there for a long while, Damon comforting Steph, until they heard someone knock on the front door.

"I can leave it," Damon offered.

"It could be the lawyer," Stephanie said quietly, "Or Jeremy. Or Elena. They'll be worried if we don't answer."

"They'll let themselves in if it's important," Damon countered, but Stephanie was getting up and changing into a pair of blue jeans and a plain white tee. She through her messy hair into a ponytail and followed Damon out and into their foyer. Damon pulled open the door and was surprised to see Pearl and Anna.

"Well, well," Damon said, leaning on the door hinge. "What do we have here?"

"Let us step inside, and we'll talk," Pearl said briskly.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that," Damon said, his tone lacking any remorse. "But we live with our human great-something nephew. He isn't here, so he can't invite you in. Sorry 'bout that."

"I know for a fact that Zachary Salvatore is dead," Pearl said, "So, if you would stand aside . . . ?"

Stephanie had stiffened. "How do you know that Zach's dead?"

"I regret to say that it was Harper that accidentally killed him. He was starving and Zachary was the first human he came across –" Damon wasn't fast enough to stop Stephanie from throwing herself viciously at the five hundred plus year old vampire. Stephanie got in a few good hits, but then Pearl got her into a choke hold. "There will be none of that, now."

"Let her go," Damon's upper lip curled into a snarl. "Right now, or I swear I will expose you to the Founder's Council."

"Not without exposing yourself," Pearl said, eyes flashing.

"Who are they going to believe? Me, who's on the Council, or you? A newcomer into Mystic Falls?" Damon asked, eyebrows raised. "Now let Stephanie go."

Pearl reluctantly let Steph go, and before the younger girl could attack her again, Damon gripped her upper arm with a tight grip.

"Now," Pearl said, smiling, "Let's have a civilized conversation, shall we?" Damon gave her a fake smile in response, and led the other two vampires into the parlor with Stephanie.

Once everyone settled themselves into chairs, Pearl said politely, "I was hoping we could have a word."

"Sure," Damon said, leaning back into the couch with an unhappy look sitting on his face, "Since you're already here and everything."

"We've taken up residence in a farmhouse just outside of town," Pearl said, "It will suffice for now."

"All twenty-five vampires?" Damon asked suspiciously, "Because I know if the tomb was unlocked, more than just Harper got out."

"Not all," Pearl said. "Some. I imagine that a few have already left town. Others are probably still in the woods, or like us, acclimating."

"Now, the question is," Damon said, "How did they get out of the tomb?"

"Your witch probably screwed up the spell," Anna said.

"Faye doesn't screw things up," Damon said grimly.

"Then maybe she just wanted to cause trouble," Anna said, "I don't care."

"I understand from Anna, and from what you just told me on the front porch," Pearl said, "That the Founders still have a secret council?"

Damon shrugged.

"Well, as you told me from your own mouth, I know that you've infiltrated the Council," Pearl said sharply, "and I'll want to know everything you know, including the names of all the members and their families."

Anna added, "And everyone you've supplied with Vervain."

"Yes, that will have to stop immediately," Pearl said, ignoring how Damon's face went to irritated to angry.

"You can't just picked up where you left off in 1864," Stephanie said sharply, "Everything's different now, and the people are different now."

"What exactly are you trying to achieve here?" Damon asked them.

"Mystic Falls is our home, Damon, Stephanie," Pearl said. "They took that from us. Our land, our home. It's time we rebuilt."

"What are you, crazy?" Damon asked incredulously. "That was 1864, and like Steph said, those people are dead. The ones who put you into the tomb are long gone, and looking for retribution will get you nowhere. Wake up, woman, the world has moved on."

"As reward for your help," Pearl said severely, "I'm willing to give you what you want most."

"I want nothing-" Damon started, irritated, but Pearl cut him off.

"Katherine," She said satisfactorily. 

"Wow, you are behind in the times," Damon said scathingly. "Been there, done that. I've moved on. Besides, you wouldn't even begin to know where she was – you've been under the ground for the last century and a half."

"Katherine and I were best friends long before we came to Mystic Falls, Damon," Pearl said in a superior tone, "I know how she thinks, I know her patterns, I know how to find her."

Stephanie sat forward and said clearly, "Damon said he's moved on. He doesn't have any desire to see Katherine anymore, and neither do I, for that matter."

"And there's no way in the deepest pits of hell that I'll play your little minion," Damon said and stood along with Stephanie. "So, go on. I'll show you out." Pearl stood too, and pushed Damon and Steph back into the couch.

"I wasn't asking you for your help, Damon," Pearl growled. "Finding Katherine was a mere gesture of kindness. The rest is non-negotiable." Pearl dived forward, her fingers stretched out like talons towards Damon's eyes.

"No!" Stephanie yelled, but Anna had her in a choke hold. "After what we did for you, this is how you repay us?" Steph spit out at the other girl. Anna looked away, but Steph's eyes couldn't move from Pearl as she ripped Damon's eyes, damaging them

"I have four hundred years on you, little boy," Pearl said loudly to him as she dropped Damon to the floor, "I could tear you limb from limb, and you know it. I'll be in touch." She inclined her head to Anna, and her daughter dropped Stephanie to the floor. The mother and daughter left the Boarding House, and Stephanie scrambled to Damon's side.

"Damon, Damon," Steph murmured, turning him over, "Can you see at all? Come on, let's get you up on the couch." She half carried, half dragged her brother's large frame onto the sofa and bit her lip from crying out in dismay as she saw his bloodied eyes.

"I'll go get you some blood to help it heal faster," Stephanie said, and flashed to and from their cellar with a blood bag. Damon drained it, and so Stephanie went and got him another. He sat up a few minutes later, groaning.

"Damn it," Damon cursed.

"Can you see alright now?" Stephanie asked, fluttering around. Damon swatted at her.

"Relax," Damon said, rubbing at his healing eyes, "I can see now. Stop buzzing around like a bee." Stephanie settled down next to him on the couch. "You're late for school."

"School's out by now," Stephanie said. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Steph, my eyes were gouged out – my internal clock's allowed to be a little off, okay?" Damon said. Steph nodded and then her phone beeped. She looked at the face of it. "Who's that? Your boyfriend?" Damon half-heatedly teased.

"No, it's Elena," Stephanie said, "She wants me to go to the Grill with her and Caroline and Matt's there too."

"Then by all means," Damon said, waving a hand, "Go."

"Are you sure you want to be here alone?" Stephanie asked.

"I'm not afraid of Pearl," Damon's eyes narrowed.

"You should be," Steph warned. "She was right about one thing – she's four times our age, Damon."

"Go on," Damon urged, "Don't worry about me. I won't go looking for trouble. Besides, Zach's lawyer will be here soon. Go." After a moment of deliberation, Stephanie texted Elena back and went upstairs to clean up. When she left, Damon was drinking blood mixed with bourbon and he waved cheerily at her when Steph shut the front door.

She met Elena and the others at the Grill, and they all got a booth. Stephanie sat next to Elena, who was across from Matt. Caroline sat opposite Steph.

"So," Elena started, interrupting the uncomfortable silence. Stephanie rose a little in her seat. The dinner was slightly uncomfortable, mostly because Matt and Caroline were dating, and Matt was Elena's ex, and Steph was Elena's boyfriend's sister. Awkward. "How do you like working here, Matt?"

"It's not that bad," Matt answered quickly, seemingly glad to be rid of the silence, "The tips are pretty good for the most part. We can't keep a bartender to save our lives, but . . . I actually put my mom up for the job." Stephanie remembered something Elena had said a few days ago about Matt's mother, but it had slipped her mind in all of the drama.

Elena sat up a little in her seat next to Steph, "How's that been, having Kelly back?"

Caroline seemed to shut down, an unhappy look on her face. Matt said, "Oh, the same old Kelly, you know. She's trying, sort of."

"Kelly and my mom were best friends growing up," Elena explained to Stephanie with a smile on her face. "That's how Matt and I first met; we shared a crib together."

"You're kidding," Stephanie said, a small smile finding its way onto her own face. "Better not let Damon hear about it – he'll get jealous, I'm sure." Elena laughed.

"Nah, we've known each other our whole lives," Matt continued. The four heard something at the bar, and they all swiveled their heads in that direction. Jenna and Kelly were there, sitting on bar stools and clearly drunk. "You've got to be kidding," Matt muttered at the sight, shaking his head. Stephanie wasn't sure if he was more disappointed or embarrassed.

Once they'd all eaten, the four moved their group over to the pool table.

At another round of high laughter coming from the bar, Caroline said sourly, "At least they're having fun."

"They're drunk," Elena said, lining up her shot.

"Remember when Elena's parents busted us here after Homecoming?" Matt asked Caroline and Elena. Stephanie tilted her head, intrigued.

"Sounds like there's a story behind that," She said.

"Yes, there is," Elena said cheerily.

"I remember," Caroline said, laughing.

"We were wasted; it was the first time I ever got drunk," Elena said, and then pointed at Matt, "I blame you."

"Her parents got seated in the next booth," Matt explained to Stephanie.

"Matt had to pretend I was choking so that we could get away," Elena giggled.

"Yeah, but her dad was a doctor, so he jumped up to save her," Matt said, smiling.

"And so I ran, slipped on the wet floor, and bit it," Elena laughed "in front of everyone. Do you remember that? Three stitches, stuck at home for three days, and was grounded from seeing Matt for a week." Out of the corner of Steph's eye, she saw Caroline wilting at Matt and Elena's enthusiasm at the story.

"I'm going to go the restroom," She said, excusing herself. Elena went after her.

"I'll be back," Elena said, "Why don't you keep Matt company, Steph?" She hurried after Caroline. Matt and Stephanie stood silently for a minute before settling into a game of one-on-one pool.

Steph got another ball into the pocket when Matt laughed, "Is there anything you and your brother aren't good at?"

Steph raised her eyebrows. "Damon's horrible at darts," Stephanie said seriously, "And getting along with people he doesn't like. He's a bit of a psychopath sometimes too, actually. And me? Apparently, I'm no good at filling in for said psychopath brother in a double date."

Matt laughed. "I heard Elena was dating him. Are they . . . happy?"

"Yes," Stephanie said automatically, smiling, "They're . . . good for each other. They balance one another and there's this passion you can just see between them."

Matt nodded, and lined up his next shot. "I just . . . just want to make sure she's taken care of. I loved her," Matt said, "and I still care for her. I want Elena to be happy."

"She is," Stephanie assured quietly. Elena and Caroline returned then, and Steph noticed Elena seemed . . . off.

"How is everything going?" Elena asked.

"Matt cheats," Stephanie said quickly.

"No need; I'm awesome," Matt said and engulfed Caroline into his arms.

"Is everyone alright, Elena?" Stephanie asked quietly.

"Everything's great," Elena assured the other girl. She showed Stephanie her phone, which showed a draft text: THAT MAN OVER THERE JUST CALLED ME KATHERINE.

Stephanie looked up immediately, searching for him. He was gone. Stephanie walked towards the spot he had been in, searching for the man. She came back and laughed off Matt and Caroline's questions.

"Where do you guys want to go next?" Caroline asked. "Someone's house."

"Not mine," Stephanie said quietly. "I actually think I need to go, if that's alright with you?" She turned to Elena and said quietly, "Damon or I will fill you in later, but Zach's lawyer should have been at our house by now, and I want to go check in on things. I'll tell Damon about that man, okay?"

Elena nodded. "Sure."

"Are you positive you didn't recognize him at all?" Stephanie asked. The taller girl nodded.

"I had no idea who he was, Steph," Elena said quietly. "What happened with your nephew?" She tacked on quietly.

"Later," Steph promised, and excused herself from her friends. Started to run to the Boarding House.

.

.

.

Stephanie got into the Boarding House to see Damon sitting in the living with bourbon in one hand and a paper in the other.

"Hello, dear sister," Damon greeted. "Did you know that Zach left the house in our names? Yours technically doesn't count because you're 'under eighteen,' but mine does. We own the place now. Congratulations to us." He raised the glass of bourbon in the air, toasting himself.

"Damon, we have a problem," Steph walking further into the room, "Can we talk about Zach's will later?"

"No, I'm not interested in Barbie's romantic fling with Mattie," Damon drawled.

"There was a vampire that thought Elena was Katherine this evening," Steph said flatly.

"What?" Damon straightened up immediately. "Who the hell was it?"

"I don't know," Stephanie said, frustrated. She ran a hand through her hair.

"What do you mean, 'you don't know?'" Damon demanded.

"I meant that I don't know," Stephanie said frankly, "He left before I could get a look at him."

"Must have been one of the tomb vampires," Damon growled angrily. He put the papers down and under the couch, standing. "Where is she now?"

"With Caroline and Matt," Stephanie said.

"Are you crazy?" Damon asked incredulously, "He could be going after her!"

"Damon-" The window next to Stephanie shattered, sending glass flying around the room. The vampire that had through himself through the window tackled Steph, stabbing her with a large shard of glass. She grunted, and Damon flashed over and threw the man across the room. He went after the vampire again, and Steph struggled to rip the shard out. She did, gasping, but then another vampire flew in through the window. She hissed at Stephanie, and then ran at her.

They fought, and the vampire threw Steph into a chair, breaking it. Stephanie scrabbled around, and grabbed one of the broken wooden chair legs and started after the vampire. They skirmished for a few more minutes until Steph staked the other vampire into the chest. She looked over and saw that Damon and the man were still fighting, but when the other vampire saw his staked buddy, he froze.

"Bethanne," He growled. He disappeared through the broken window, leaving the two Salvatore's alone.

"I remember them," Stephanie said quietly, rubbing her stomach where the shard of glass had gone in. "They were in the tomb."

"Think he was the one that Elena saw?" Damon asked.

"Probably," Steph said, "But there's no way to tell. If Pearl is harboring vampires in her house, it could have been any of them, or the ones she says are in the forest."

"But if you had to put money on anything," Damon drawled, "What would it be?"

"That it was the same vampire," Stephanie said humorlessly.

"Thought so," Damon muttered. "I'm going to go call Elena and see if she's okay. Tell her about Zach and tomb vampires and the rest of my day." He turned to leave, but turned his head to look back at his sister. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Stephanie waved off her concern. "I'll start to clean this up, but when you're done talking to Elena, could you come help?"

"Sure," Damon said easily. Stephanie watched as he left the room to call his girlfriend and then turned back to Bethanne's body. She sighed.

.

.

.

Stephanie stood in the living room with Elena and Jeremy, and they all watched as Damon hammered wooden boards across their doors.

"I say we go to Pearl's," Damon said, turning around.  "Knock on the door, and then annihilate the vampire that led the attack on us yesterday."

"What about the other vampires living there?" Stephanie asked, arms crossed.  "Apologize for killing their friend and hope they don't stake us?"

"I can't believe you made a deal with Pearl," Jeremy said, sitting next to Elena.  His sister didn't look extremely happy about it either.

"I can't believe you went and made a deal without telling anyone," Elena said darkly.

"It was a more of a helpful exchange of information," Damon said, "It's not like I had much of a choice of the matter anyway. The woman gouged my eyes out."

Elena and Stephanie flinched.

"I wish you'd have told me about that sooner," Elena said to Damon, "I wouldn't have gone out with Caroline and Matt."

"Which is why I didn't tell you," Damon countered.

"And I wish that you'd have told me about the tomb vampires sooner, too," Elena said.

"You'd have just worried all day," Damon said. "Admit it." Elena grumbled a bit, but didn't dispute anything Damon said. Stephanie and Jeremy exchanged amused glances.

"I think we need to tell Bonnie and Caroline," Elena said.

"What?" Damon asked, "And why would we do that?"

"Because we undid a spell on the tomb and a bunch of vampires are running around Mystic Falls. She should be on the lookout in case one tries to attack her for a meal," Elena said.

"Elena, Witchy is just going to come over here and annihilate me if you do that," Damon said, "She and her grandmother will be really pissed that I had a witch undo the spell for Anna. Now Anna and Pearl want to take over the town. It's kind of our fault."

"This isn't being very productive," Stephanie interrupted after several minutes of Damon and Elena's bickering. "Why don't you," Steph directed at Elena, "and Jeremy go home. Tell Caroline or Bonnie, or whoever, and Damon and I will take care of Pearl and the tomb vampires."

"What?" Jeremy asked.  "No way."

"We can't just sit here and do nothing," Elena agreed.

"That's exactly what you're going to do, Elena," Damon said. "There are twenty-five vampires running around and they won't be able to get into your house unless you invite them, as opposed to the fact that they can just walk in over here." He raised an eyebrow, but the Gilbert's were firm.

"Jeremy, please," Stephanie murmured. He sighed, and Steph knew she'd won. Damon and Elena argued for a few more minutes, but Steph knew by Elena's huff of exasperation that she'd given in. The Gilbert's went back to their safe home after that quickly, leaving Damon and Steph alone.

"I'm going to go hunt," Stephanie announced.

"What? Why?" Damon complained. "We have two liters of soccer mom in the fridge."

"The rain will help clear my head," Stephanie argued.

"Alright," Damon sighed, "Give my regards to the Thumper and Bambi."

Stephanie snorted, "Will do." She pulled on her rain jacket and zipped it up, heading out.

The rain was cold, but refreshing. Thunder rumbled close, and lightening flashed high in the air. Stephanie ran through the forest, enjoying the squelching sound of damp earth under her feet, and loving the smell of the forest. She slowed when she heard a disturbance, and whirled around.

A figure melted from behind a tree, and several after it. When it came closer, Steph recognized the vampire as the one that had been over the previous night.

"Fredrick," Stephanie greeted grimly.

"Hello, beautiful," Fredrick smiled. It wasn't a pleasant smile. He flashed in front of Stephanie and shoved a stake up through her abdomen, making her gasp in pain. Fredrick smirked at her.

"We're going to have so much fun together," He whispered into her ear.  Stephanie smelled his stagnate breath and grimaced.

"I think we have different ideas of a good time," Steph muttered.

"Oh, I'm sure we do," Fredrick said, "But it'll be a wild ride." A flash of real fear wormed its way through Stephanie's heart and the other vampires descended onto her and Fredrick.

.

.

.

Damon was worried. He'd called Elena and Jeremy, and neither had seen Stephanie since they'd left the Boarding House. Damon had an idea of where she could've been, but both of the damn Gilbert's wanted to tag along. He'd made them stay in the car, which was a good distance from Pearl's farmhouse.

"Stay here or I swear I will make you regret it," Damon had growled. "I can't watch both of your backs, as well as mine, as well as rescue Stephanie."

He'd then flashed up to Pearl's house and was banging on the front door.

"Pearl! Open this door! I swear to God that I'll bust through and rip your head off!" He snarled loudly. The door opened into a crack, revealing the bastard Frederick.

"Pearl's not home," He said, and opened the door wider so he could step out. Damon took a step back. "Mm, beautiful whether," He added, "Not a ray of sun in the sky."

"Where's my sister?" Damon narrowed his eyes.

Fredrick grinned and Damon's stomach dropped at the sight of it. Fredrick opened the door the rest of the way.  "Billy," He called quietly.  Two vampires dragged a small form in between them, and Damon scowled fiercely.  Stephanie was suspended in their arms, her feet barely touching the floor.  Her face was damp with sweat and her clothing ripped. She was gasping in pain.

"Damon," She choked, "go."  Her face was pale and her expression agonized.  The very sight of her in such pain made fierce, protective anger flood his body.

"You are _dead_!" Damon snarled, charging through the door.  He screamed in frustration as he was blocked by the invisible barrier in the doorway.

"Whoa, I'm sorry," Fredrick said, his voice sleazy.  It sent shivers up Damon's spine.  "You haven't been invited in. Miss Gibbons," He called.  A middle-aged woman dressed in a paisley apron approached Fredrick's side.

"Yes?" She seemed unperturbed with the things happening around her, her eyes glazed and her expression serene.

"Do you see this man?"  Frederick asked patiently.  "He's never to be invited into his house," He compelled.

"He's never to be invited in," Miss Gibbons repeated softly.

"One hundred and forty-five years left starving in a tomb," Fredrick said conversationally as Miss Gibbons walked away, "thanks to Katherine's infatuation with you, and her fixation on your sister. The first few weeks every nerve inside your body screams with fire. That kind of pain can drive a person mad." Fredrick smiled roguishly. "Well, I thought your sister would like a taste of that before I killed her, as well as a flavor of my _own_ infatuation.  Billy."  Billy stabbed Stephanie in the side with a stake, making her keen.  He shoved it in farther, and she screamed as she crumbled to the ground.  Damon felt fire in his gut.

"I'll enjoy hearing those dulcet tones for a while," Fredrick said pleasantly.  He grinned.  "Now, you have a nice day." Frederick shut the door in Damon's face.  Damon roared with anger, punching one of the pillars that ran from the top of the roof over the porch to its cement floor.  Damon's blood burned with anger as he ran back to the car where the Gilbert's were seated.  When they caught sight of him, they ran out under the umbrella to demand answers.

"What happened? Where's Stephanie?" Jeremy shouted..

"They have her," Damon said desperately.  "I can't get in."  They have my baby sister and they're _hurting_ her.  It was taking all of his strength to keep himself together.

"Why not?" Elena asked naively.  

"Because the woman who owns the house has been compelled to not let me in," Damon explained sharply.  "What the hell else would keep from my sister, Elena?"  She sent him a barbed glance that sent a flash of guilt shooting through him.

"We can get in," Jeremy said, his eyes wild.  He hadn't even heard Damon's rebuke.  "We can go get her."

"You're _not_ going in there," Damon said.

"I'm going," Elena aruged.

"You're not going in there."  Damon put his hands on Elena's shoulders firmly.  "You're not."

"Why are they doing this?" Jeremy asked angrily, "What do they want with her?"

"They're pissed at Steph and I," Damon explained quickly, "They want revenge for them being stuck in the tomb for over a century."

"We've got to do something," Elena said.

"We can't let them hurt her anymore, we've got to get her away from there," Jeremy said urgently.

"Elena, Jeremy, I know," Damon said immediately. "But I don't know how to get her out."

"I think I do," Jeremy said. "Alaric Saltzman."

.

.

.

Stephanie gasped in pain as Fredrick and his motley crew of vampires strung her up from the ceiling with vervain soaked ropes. They all wore insulated gloves that protected them from the poison. The cellar was damp and dark, the perfect for vampires, Steph mused, her thoughts full of foreboding.  She hoped that Damon had run away – better to save himself than risk everything for her.

"Vervain on the ropes," Fredrick said and tsked. "That's gotta sting."  He pulled her bindings tighter, making Stephanie's wrists and ankles burn.  She gasped out raggedly.  "Speaking of," Fredrick added, he pulled out an eyedropper and swung it slowly in her line of vision.  "This is going to hurt," He warned and used his hands to open Stephanie's eyelids.  He dripped vervain on her retinas and she couldn't help the hysterical shriek of pain that it elicited.  

"This isn't right!" A masculine voice shouted.

"She killed Bethanne.  One of us, Harper. And don't think for a second that she wouldn't kill you without a second glance," Fredrick said. Harper? The name stirred a memory. "Pearl says we're not here for revenge? I say that's exactly what we're here for. Starting with her, and then her brother, and then anyone else that gets in our way." Harper started forward and grabbed Fredrick's arm.  "You're going to want to let go of me!" Fredrick yelled.

"Miss Pearl will hear about this," Harper said.

"Miss Pearl is no longer in charge," Fredrick growled. "Tie him up."  Steph watched as the other vampires tied Harper to a chair, and then stabbed stakes in his legs to keep him from moving.  She closed her bleeding eyes but couldn't block out his moans.

"Now."  Fredrick smiled at her.  "Let's continue, shall we, sweetheart?" He leant in close and inhaled her scent on her neck. Fredrick bit her, and Steph braced herself as he started to drain blood out of her body. He ripped the rest of Steph's shirt of and whistled. "So beautiful . . ." Fredrick took a piece of wood and dragged it across Stephanie's abdomen, drawing blood.  Stephanie opened her eyes and stared down her torturer.

.

.

.

Stephanie hurt.  That was her first impression when she came back to herself.

"I'm sorry."  Steph's eyes moved to stare at the vampire staked down to his chair.  He spoke again, "I'm sorry about your nephew. I didn't mean to kill him. It was an accident."

Stephanie took a breath, wincing as even that pained her. "I forgive you," She croaked. Harper offered her a half-smile.

"I'm sorry what they did to you," He added softly.

Stephanie would have stiffened if she was able.  "It's not your fault. Don't worry about it."  She felt her awareness start to slip away again.  When Stephanie started to hear voices, she closed her eyes tightly.  She didn't want to see Fredrick or Billy or any of his other buddies anyone.  She was tired of being brave.

"Oh my God," A voice exclaimed. "Stephanie?"  Steph forced open her eyes and saw Elena and Jeremy standing in front of her, along with Damon.  Her brother looked furious, and Elena horrified.  She refused to look at Jeremy.

Damon hurried to her side and started to release her from her bindings. "Vervain," Steph gasped, "on the ropes."

"Elena, Jeremy, somebody, get the ropes," Damon commanded.  Both of the Gilbert's launched themselves in her direction and started to undo her bindings. "Quickly," He hissed, then spied Harper.  He went to stake him.

"No," Stephanie protested weakly, "He tried . . . to help . . . me."

"Whatever," Damon said harshly.

"Help . . . him," Stephanie said.  Damon rolled his eyes, but listened to her and let Harper go by ripping up the wooden stakes out of his thighs.  He turned around to see Jeremy and Elena finishing up with the restraints.  Stephanie fell forward and Jeremy reached to catch her, but she flinched away.  Surprised, Jeremy took a step back and Damon replaced him.

"There we go," Damon murmured and scooped Stephanie up to hold her close to his chest.  "Let's move."  They started up through the basement – the way Jeremy and Elena had come in. "Elena, give me your jacket," Damon said after a moment. Steph was trembling and mostly naked, and Damon was relieved once she was wrapped up in Elena's sweatshirt. They left the house and started towards the car.

"Where do you think you're going?" Fredrick's voice grated on Damon's ears.

"Hold her," Damon put his little sister into Elena's arms, and the other girl sagged. "Take them to the car, Elena." His voice broke to discussion.

"I wouldn't do that," Fredrick said.

"Why's that?" Damon asked.

"I've got this place surrounded," Fredrick smirked. Damon snarled.

"Did you know," Fredrick started in a conversational tone, "that your sister tastes . . . delightful?" Damon saw red as he roared with a burning anger at Fredrick.

"You leave her alone!"

Elena saw as they fought, and tugged Jeremy with her, "Come on, Jer, let's go!"

"Did you hear what he said?" Jeremy asked in a strangled tone. "Do you see what she looks like?"

"I know what he did, and it was awful, but we have to go," Elena hissed, "right now. Damon's causing a distraction so we can escape."  Jeremy finally nodded and took Stephanie into his arms when he noticed that she was unconscious. "Let's go, then." They ran, but heard the sounds of Damon taking his time in killing Fredrick behind them.

They ran into two vampires, stopping the Gilbert's in their tracks. "Hey – " They didn't get time to talk – Jeremy shot a vervain dart at each of them, dropping the vampires like stones.  They made it to the car in time to find out that neither of them had the keys.

"What the hell are we supposed to do now?" Jeremy yelled.

"Calm down and get into the car."  They looked over and saw Damon and Alaric stalking towards them. "Fredrick and the ones responsible have been dealt with. Pearl's back in her little farmhouse and has decided to let us go. Let's go before she changes her mind." Damon sat into the driver's side, and Alaric next to him, leaving the Gilbert's to sit in the back with Stephanie lying motionless across them.

"I'm dropping you off at your house," Damon said flatly. He left Alaric at his home, and then dropped the Gilbert's off.

"I just want to make sure she's okay," Jeremy tried to persuade Damon to let him come to the Boarding House.

"Jeremy," Elena said firmly. She shook her head. "Let them go."

Jeremy and Elena stared each at each for several seconds before he looked away, nodding. "Yeah, alright."

.

.

.

When Damon got back to the Boarding House, he lifted Stephanie into his arms and held her close to his chest. She didn't stir until Damon set her on the couch and fed her an entire blood packet.

"There we are," He murmured, "Come on, Stephanie. Wake up. Just a little?" She stirred a little more and Damon breathed a sigh of relief. He scooped her up again and took her to his bathroom. "Bath time," He said quietly.  Stephanie said nothing, her eyes blank.

.

.

.

Damon stood sentry to Stephanie's bedroom while she slept after he'd helped her clean up and put new clothes on. He'd burned what was left of her clothes she'd worn that day.  Damon walked closer to Stephanie's bed and eased himself next to her and sat with his back to the headboard. He watched her sleep uneasily.

"I'm sorry," He whispered quietly.  "And I killed the bastards that tortured you.  Fredrick suffered."

"Thank you," Stephanie breathed quietly. Damon started, but put a hand on her shoulder.

"I would do it a hundred times over if it would make today never happen," Damon swore.

"I know."

.

.

.

tbc


	5. this is how an angel cries; SAIL

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I was a heavy heart to carry; my beloved was weighed down,
> 
> My arms around his neck; my fingers laced to crown,
> 
> I was a heavy heart to carry; my feet dragged across the ground,
> 
> Where he took me to the river, where he slowly let me drown."
> 
> -Florence & the Machine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries or any quotes borrowed/altered. I do not own the song "Heavy in Your Arms," by Florence and the Machine. I do not own "Only Time" by Enya or The Decemberists – "Crane Wife 1 and 2"

Stephanie dreamt.

Her unconscious mind was haunted by the faces of her attackers as they assaulted her. Their eyes and their mouths as they sneered at her were seemingly burned into her retinas along with the Vervain they'd taken painstaking measures to wound her with. All of the vampires that had been present all day were in her nightmares; Billy and his compliance to do whatever he was told by the others was particularly vibrant. But the most vivid images of all were the ones of her primary assailant. Fredrick.

_"Hello, beautiful . . ."_

Stephanie woke up swinging and shrieking in her bed. Her chest heaved as she tried to gasp air into her lungs. Someone was sitting up next to her, murmuring comfort and kind words into Stephanie's ears. She wanted to hurt him, to make everyone go away, but something in her rebelled at the idea. Friend, it pulsed, family. Safe.

"That's it, Stephanie, it's just me," The words became intelligible, along with the warm voice murmuring them into her ear. She recognized the voice and the arms around her. She knew those hands that were rubbing her arms and back.

"Damon," Stephanie whispered.

"Back to the land of the living," Damon said softly, "Do you want something? I've got bourbon and whiskey downstairs if you'd like – might make you pass clean out with any dreams."

Being familiar with Damon's brand of comfort, Stephanie shook her head.

"Thanks, though," She muttered, "I'm just going back to sleep."

"Sure," Damon said easily as Stephanie slipped back under her blankets. Damon sat up in her bed with his back to the headboard, like a sentry keeping guard over something precious. Stephanie closed her eyes but only saw Fredrick's face, his nasty, grisly haired face.

Damon started to hum something softly, and Stephanie focused her hearing onto the tune. It was soft and lovely and the words of the song instantly came to Steph's mind.

_It was a cold night_   
_And the snow lay low_   
_I pulled my coat tight_   
_Against the falling down_   
_And the sun was all_   
_And the sun was all down_   
_And the sun was all_   
_And the sun was all down_

_I am a poor man_   
_I haven't wealth nor fame_   
_I have my two hands_   
_And a house to my name_   
_And the winter's so_   
_And the winter's so long_   
_And the winter's so_   
_And the winter's so long_

_And all the stars were crashing 'round_   
_As I laid eyes on what I'd found_

Damon started to quietly murmur the words, lulling Stephanie to a more peaceful place.

_"It was a white crane_   
_It was a helpless thing_   
_Upon a red stain_   
_With an arrow its wing_   
_And it called and cried_   
_And it called and cried so_   
_And it called and cried_   
_And it called and cried so_

_And all the stars were crashing 'round_   
_As I laid eyes on what I'd found_   
_My crane wife, my crane wife_   
_My crane wife, my crane wife_

_Now I helped her_   
_And I dressed her wounds_   
_And how I held her_   
_Beneath the rising moon_   
_And she stood to fly_   
_And she stood to fly away_   
_And she stood to fly_   
_She stood to fly away."_

Stephanie slipped off into a quieter slumber to the sound of her brother's off key, but warm and soothing voice.

.

.

.

The next time Stephanie woke up, it was alone in her large, cavernous bedroom. Her blankets were cocooned around her and sunlight streamed through a space on her window not covered by her curtains. Stephanie sat up slowly and ignored the slight protests her still slightly battered body gave her. Damon was gone from his sentry post on the other side of Steph's bed, though the imprint of his lower body was till there from where he'd sat for what was clearly most of the night.

Stephanie slipped out of bed and her feet landed on the cold, hard wooden floor. It seemed to gleam brightly in the morning sun, giving off a lively sparkle. She stood and walked to the window and peered out. Dew glistened on the grass and her brother's blue car sat in the drive still, indicating that he'd not gone anywhere yet. Steph moved away from the window and walked to her mirror.

She tilted her head at what she saw; the dark circles around her eyes stood out and her face was quite pale for someone who'd had at least two blood bags before bed. Her brown hair was wild from not blow drying it after her shower and before bed. Stephanie leaned forward, placing a hand on her neck; though the area was mostly healed, she could see the discoloration of bruises forming in the shape of hands and teeth.

"You taste wonderful, Miss Stephanie. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Go to hell."

Steph took her hand off of the bruises and run her fingers over her body, feeling for . . . something. She felt the same except for the pain in what must have been more bruises under her clothing. Steph didn't have any night wear; she used sweats and tee shirt usually. She was in one of Damon's overly large tees, Stephanie could smell. Her sweat pants were her own.

She heard someone's footsteps approaching, making Stephanie whirl around, fangs extending and her eyes turning black. She crouched down low to the floor, already on the defense.

"Hey Steph," Damon said, appearing in her door already wearing his day clothes; dark button up shirt, dark jeans and boots, and his leather jacket. "It's just me; don't bite my head off." He was trying to be nonchalant about yesterday, Stephanie realized. He's trying to make her feel safe, like nothing had happened. Stephanie thought she couldn't have loved her big brother any more than she did in that instant.

"Sorry, Damon," Stephanie said, rising from her crouch and letting her face return to normal. "Where are you all dressed up to go to?" Damon took a step farther inside so he was at the door, leaning on its hinge.

"Oh, there's just this Founder's Council meeting this morning," Damon said casually, "I was going to go, unless of course you would like me to stay with you? Babysit?"

Steph felt a small smile start at the edge of her features, "No, I don't need a babysitter. Thanks for the consideration; I'll remember that when I have to go out and leave you by yourself."

Damon wiggled his eyebrows.

"I've already called the school," He continued unconcernedly, "And told the attendance administrator that you'd be out sick. Unless you want to go?" He raised his eyebrows.

Stephanie found herself shaking her head before she'd even made a conscious decision to do so. The thought of being around all those people put a wrench into her gut. Seeing Bonnie, who surely hated her because of their opening the tomb, and Caroline put her heart stop. Seeing Elena and Jeremy made her feel like she was breaking out into a cold sweat of anxiety. No, she'd rather stay home for a bit. Just a bit.

"That's what I thought," Damon said, smirking, but there was something in his eyes. Some protective and angry sliver than made Steph shiver. Her brother could be scary when he felt like it. But Stephanie had never feared him; not even last night, when even the sight of Jeremy made her tremble. "So, I'm off. Call if you need anything."

Stephanie nodded automatically, and Damon mock saluted her. She heard as he left the house and ran to his car, which he didn't drive all the time, but certainly more than Stephanie drove hers. Steph listened is the engine started and the blue mustang pulled out of the drive, and left down the old country road farther into Mystic Falls. Then she made her way back into bed and pulled the blankets over her head and closed her eyes.

.

.

.

Damon arrived at the Council meeting with a twitchy, unnamed feeling that pulsed in his gut. His casual facade that he'd expressed to his sister fell away and lines crowded his forehead as he frowned, and his steps were slightly lighter than usual – he wasn't being as careful to conceal his vampire tendencies that morning, which was unnerving.

There were a lot of people gathered that morning, starting with both Carol and Mayor Richard Lockwood. Liz was there, as usual, along with her deputies. The Fell family was represented, and the only Salvatore there was him, Damon. He felt a brief pang in his heart for Zach, but it went away as quickly is it came. He hadn't been particularly close to Zach at all – he never was with his and Steph's human relatives. They came and went; their human life spans too short for him to want to get close.

"Damon," Liz greeted and then a prominent frown slipped onto her face, "What's the matter? You look as if you've seen a ghost." She leant in close and whispered, "It wasn't a vampire, was it?"

Damon laughed at the irony of the statement, but he couldn't stop. He laughed uncontrollably until Liz took a tight hold –for a human – onto his arm.

Her voice was alarmed. "Damon? What's going on? You're . . . you're crying."

He, Damon Fucking Salvatore was crying? He wanted to deny it, but Damon could feel a tear slip down his cheek.

"So I am," He observed. Damon noticed that the room had gone very silent and quite a few of the other Council members were staring. "What?" Damon asked. "Haven't you ever seen a guy have a melt down before?"

He saw a blond man that bore a resemblance to Elena and a vague similarity to Jeremy stare at him. Liz took a firmer hold onto Damon's arm and excused them from the room.

"Are you drunk?" Liz's voice was hard as she shook him a little, "It's barely eight o'clock in the morning, Damon."

"Oh, I'm drunk alright," Damon said, wiping a tear roughly off his shoulder, "Drunk with anger. With vengeance."

"What happened, Damon? Is there something wrong at home?" Liz asked concernedly.

Damon almost told her. He almost opened his mouth and told her how his sister had been abducted and had vile things done her at the hands of tomb vampires all set on revenge against him and her.

Instead, he opened his mouth and said, "I need go. Fill me in later about what happened at the meeting?'

"Of course, Damon, it's not a problem, but I really think-"  Damon never learned what Liz Forbes really thought because he'd quickly walked out of the Lockwood home.

He'd never stopped laughing.

.

.

.

Elena went throughout the day waiting for a call.  From Damon or Stephanie, it didn't matter.  She just wanted hear from one of them so bad. She needed to know that Stephanie was okay.  She needed to know how Damon was handling everything.  But really, Elena just wanted to hear Damon's laughing voice and Stephanie dry one. She wanted everything to be normal.  But it wasn't. Bonnie was furious and refusing to speak to Elena at all, and the look in her eyes made Elena worry for Stephanie and Damon's continued safety in Mystic Falls.  Elena really didn't give a damn about Pearl's and Anna's.

(She secretly hoped that Bonnie found one or the other.)

.

.

.

Jeremy floated through his school day like a ghost. He didn't worry about Damon, like his sister did, and didn't worry about Bonnie, and sure as hell didn't worry about Anna and Pearl.  He didn't particularly care about either of them, but he didn't wish for their deaths.  No, the only one Jeremy wanted to kill was already dead and gone, courtesy of Damon.  Jeremy worried about Stephanie all day. He thought about her rare smiles, and her oak leaf green eyes and her short slender frame flush against his as Jeremy hugged and kissed her.

He worried that things wouldn't be the same.

.

.

.

Damon went straight to the Mystic Grill after he left the Lockwood house, contrary to where he'd intended to go, which was home. Instead, he'd found himself walking into the Grill and sitting into his usual seat. The bartender paid his early hour no mind as Damon came whenever he pleased, whether the time be at eight in the morning or eleven at night.

"The usual?" The barman asked.

"Double bourbon," Damon said, but as the barman turned away, he stopped him.  "You know what? Just leave the glass and the bottle."

The barman didn't so much as raise an eyebrow as he left both a tall glass and the bottle of bourbon in front of Damon. The vampire poured his self a glass and drained it in a single swallow. He filled it up again. Damon sat at the bar until he was well and truly drunk, and when he headed back to his car, he left the barman with a thirty dollar tip. He put a finger to his lips and motioned the barman closer.

"Don't tell the History teacher, or the pretty dark haired girl Elena, or her little brother Jeremy that I was here all day. It's a secret." The bartender simply inclined his head and watched as Damon left.

The barman collected the tip and shoved it into his apron pocket and sighed to himself. If he had a dollar for every time that dark headed man that he knew to be Damon came into the Grill to get completely plastered, well, he'd be richer than Mayor Lockwood himself.

.

.

.

Damon made it home at five, just in time to hear his cell phone ring.  "Damn it," He muttered and fumbled with the ridiculous twenty-first century device. "Hello?"

"Damon, it's Liz," The Sheriff's voice filtered out.

"Liz," Damon said, "How was the meeting?"

"Concerning. John Jackass Gilbert is back in town, and though I hate to admit it, he'd found some pretty convincing evidence that there are vampires back in the area," She said grimly.

"That's a shame," Damon said as he walked up the stairs.

"Are you still drunk?" Liz asked suspiciously.

"I wasn't before," Damon corrected, "But I am now." His friend – probably one of his only ones – sighed on the other end.

"I guess you won't be making it to the Founder's Day Kickoff Party then," Liz said.

"Kickoff party?" Damon asked, keeping himself from slurring.

"Yes, it's at the Lockwood's tonight starting at six. You aren't thinking of coming, are you? You sound very drunk right now," Liz warned.

Damon waved, even though the sheriff couldn't see it.

"Relax, Liz, I'm not that drunk. I might see you tonight," He said and hung up before the woman could answer. Damon slipped the phone into his front pocket and went down to the cellar where the blood was kept.

He drank two blood bags to help him sober up and then he made his way up to Stephanie's bedroom. Damon paused in front of the door, putting his ear up against the wood. He heard the shower running, and so he continued on to his bedroom. Damon pulled out a suit and slipped it on and combed back his hair. He walked passed Steph's door again, only the second time he didn't hear anything.

"Stephanie?" He called through the heavy wood. Damon opened the door and stepped inside. The room was impeccably clean, as opposed to the moderate clutter that had been in it yesterday and that very morning. The bathroom door was open, seemingly airing out steam. The bed was made and Stephanie sat upon it, looking barely better than she had that morning.

She was wearing her own night clothes this time and her hair was wet and hanging down around her shoulder, sopping the shirt she had on. In her lap was her diary and a fountain pen sat in her right hand, hovering less than a centimeter from a probable blank page. Steph's face was intent on the spot the pen was sitting, but there were no motions being made.

Damon noticed that Steph was still pale, but the awful bruising around her neck was nearly gone. Nearly all the physical evidence of the day before was gone.

"Stephanie?" Damon repeated carefully. His sister looked up this time and her green eyes widened at the sight of him.

"Damon," She said, "Going somewhere special? Hot date? Music Night at the Forbes' place? I bet you can still play a mean banjo."

Avoidance. Damon could do avoidance – hell, he was the KING OF AVOIDANCE.

He pointed at her, "I thought you were going to forget about the banjo. That was an embarrassing event that happened when I was drunk. You and Lexi took advantage of me and taped it."

"Of course we taped it," Stephanie deadpanned, "And you always do something embarrassing when you're drunk – you just don't remember everything."

Damon pretended to laugh.

"Right, well, I'm going to the Lockwood's for the Founder's Kickoff Party, where there will hopefully be no banjos lying around," Damon said, "Did you need anything while I was here?"

He wondered if Jeremy or Elena had called her. Jeremy hadn't phoned him, but Elena had a few times while he'd been at the Grill. Damon had ignored her in favor of the bourbon.

"No," Stephanie shifted on the bed, "I don't need anything."

Damon nodded and said good-bye to her, flashing away to the Lockwood's. When he got there, his hair was windswept. Handsome, in Damon's opinion.

Damon spotted Liz Forbes almost immediately and sidled up to her.

"I love a woman in a uniform – in fact there once was this firefighter that was smoking hot – but anyway, I mean to say is that you look simply ravishing tonight," Damon smiled at her. "Simply smashing."

Liz's hair was styled for the evening and her make-up was more heavily applied, and she wore a beautiful black dress. She smiled a little self-depreciating at the compliment. "Thanks, Damon. I needed that."

Damon smiled wider. "Of course."

She frowned at him, "Are you okay? You seemed pretty bad off this morning."

Damon plastered on one of his famous faux smiles, "I'm fine, Liz. Perfectly A-Okay. Really." Liz nodded her head at him once.

"If you're sure," She said quietly, "Well, if you'd like to be appraised of the Council meeting now, I can tell you a bit . . ."

"I would love that, Liz," Damon said.

"It's not good," Liz warned, "John Gilbert's claims all check out. The missing people he mentioned, the hospital thievery, it's all true," Liz said regrettably. "We might have a problem."

Damn it, Damon thought. Of course there were problems. Pearl needed to keep all of her sick, stupid tomb vampires on a leash. He regretted agreeing with Stephanie to help Anna now. He regretted bring his ex-girlfriend, Faye, into it.

"Is that so?" Damon inquired. "We'll just have to keep our eyes open." Liz nodded her head in agreement, and Damon excused himself out to the balcony. He heard the man from the Council meeting that morning approach.

"Damon, right?" John Gilbert asked, "We didn't get a chance to meet at the Council meeting, after your . . . episode."

"Oh, right, it's a pleasure," Damon said falsely. "I was having a bad morning – I'm fine now. Are you enjoying the . . . uh, kickoff?" He asked sardonically.

"Oh yeah," John said, "I'd forgotten how fun this small town celebrations could be."

"Yeah, yeah," Damon agreed, "How long was the last time you were here?"

"It hasn't been that long," John said, "My brother's funeral," He explained further. "How long have you been in town?"

"Oh, not long at all," Damon waved a hand dismissively.

"So, what do you think, Damon? You know this vampire problem is real, right? Potential bloodbath," John took a step closer to Damon.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much," Damon said, "John."

"Oh, I think it's like 1864 all over again. Vampires running amuck. I guess we'll just have to hunt them down, throw them into a church, and burn them to ash."

"That is the story, huh?" Damon took a sip of his bourbon.

"Part of the story," John corrected.

Surprised and suspicious, Damon turned to John. "Oh, there's, uh, more?"

"There's a lot more," John said, "Seems that there's a tomb under the church. The vampires were hidden away, looking for someone to come set them free. But then, you already knew that, didn't you? Being that you're the one that did it."

Damon slowly turned to stare at John Gilbert, smiling. "And you're telling me this, why?"

Smiling as well, John said, "I thought we'd get the introductions out of the way."

"Well, you know that I could rip your throat out before anyone would notice, right?" Damon asked.

"Right," John agreed, still smiling.

"Right, but well, you probably ingest Vervain, so," Damon smirked.

"Why don't you take a bite?" John suggested. "Find out?"

"It's not worth my time," Damon told him, wiggling his eyebrows and started passed John. Once he was at the door to the balcony, Damon turned around. John and he exchanged looks and Damon flashed to the human's side once more and broke his neck.

"Bye-bye, John," Damon cooed and threw him over the edge of the balcony. "Whoops. Such a nasty fall." He left the balcony and walked discreetly back inside to the party. Damon spied Elena almost seconds after she'd spotted him.

"Damon," She said, "How are you?" She asked immediately.

"Fine," Damon said, smirking, "Great. How about you?"

"Damon," Elena said flatly, "You're not avoiding this."

"What's to avoid?" Damon asked, grabbing a glass of champagne off of a nearby tray. He drained the glass. "There's nothing to avoid."

Elena opened her mouth to say something when Damon saw John Gilbert walk back inside through the front door like he hadn't just had his neck snapped and then his body tossed over a balcony that was at least two stories high.

"What the hell? You've got to be kidding me."

"What?" Elena asked, her face pinched into confusion as she looked up at her boyfriend.

"Look," Damon pointed.

"That's my Uncle John, he's visiting for a while," Elena said slowly.

"That's all well and good, but I just snapped his neck and threw him off the balcony. He was dead," Damon explained.

"Damon!" Elena hit him. "I don't like John either, but you can't just go kill people, and oh my God, if he's dead, why is he walking around?"

"I don't know," Damon murmured, but he and Elena gathered when Mayor Lockwood started announcement, welcoming John back into town. They walked to Alaric's side, and Damon murmured to him, "Look at his right hand. Town's favorite son – look at his ring."

Elena's eyes widened.

"Well, looks like mine," Alaric said, surprise coloring his tone.

"Yeah, that'd be a great coincidence, except he just came back from the dead," Damon said.

"Where'd you get your ring again, Alaric?" Elena asked. Her eyebrows her furrowed.

"Isobel," Alaric whispered back.

"Right," Damon laughed and it wasn't a kind sound, "Isobel, who gave birth to you, Elena, under the medical care of the esteemed Dr. Grayson Gilbert, brother to John Gilbert."

"You think John knew Isobel?" Alaric asked.

"I think John knew a lot of things," Damon said and took a sip of his drink. "Let's follow the dick. Elena, hang out here for a bit."

"Damon," Elena said in a warning tone.

"It'll be fine, and I'll be good to John," Damon said, "Alaric will babysit." Without another word, he and Alaric followed John as he left the party.

"Going somewhere?" Damon asked.

"I've never liked being last to leave a party," John said.

"Hm," Damon said.

"It seems desperate," John explained. "You going to kill me again? Or are you going to let Mr. Saltzman do your dirty work?"

"Okay, you obviously know who I am," Alaric said.

"I do," John agreed, "Alaric Saltzman; High School History teacher with a secret."

"You know a lot for someone who just got to town," Damon observed.

"More than you can imagine, Damon," John said, "My knowledge of this town goes beyond anything that you, or you, or the Council knows. So, if you were planning on some clever, high speed, high snatch ring vamp kill move, know that if I die, everything that I know goes to the Council. Including the fascinating tale of the original Salvatore Siblings, and their present day return to Mystic Falls."

"How'd you get that ring?" Alaric asked, covering up for Damon's shocked silence.

"I inherited one," John said, "My brother, Gray, the other. This was his," John lifted his hand to show off the ring, "And I wouldn't have given mine to Isobel if I'd known that she'd hand it over to another guy."

"So you did know her," Damon said.

"Who do you think sent her your way when she wanted to become a vampire?" John asked, amused.

"You sent her?" Damon asked.

"Guilty," John sang. "Why? Did you think someone else sent her?" Damon shrugged. "How about Katherine Pierce?"

Damon stiffened. "How do you know about Katherine?"

"How do I know anything, Damon?"

"What do you want?" Damon demanded.

"So many questions. It's a pleasure to meet you Rick," John said to him, "I've heard so much about you." He turned and walked away, looking back once only.

"Well, just what we needed; more problems," Damon growled. He took another swig of his wine. Damon heard Alaric agree with him.

.

.

.

Stephanie was pulling the blankets down when she heard him at her door again. She didn't pause in what she was doing, but he stayed by her door, watching her with his icy blue eyes. Steph turned out her light, shrouding her bedroom in darkness she didn't mind. Stephanie slipped into bed and laid her head down onto her pillow when she heard Damon clear his throat.

"Would you like me to come in again?"

Though deeply embarrassed by her nightmares and the need she'd had to have her big brother chase them away, Stephanie couldn't make herself tell Damon no. Instead she said nothing, which was an invitation to Damon. The older vampire came and sat in the same spot he'd sat in the night previous and leant his head on the headboard.

"What did you really do today?" Damon's voice rang in the silence of the night.

"Tried to wash off the memories," Stephanie answered.

"Did it work?" Damon was honestly curious, she could tell.

"No."

There was quiet again.

"What about you?" Steph inquired quietly.

"Went to the Council meeting and had a mental breakdown," Damon said bluntly, "Got drunk. Went to a party. Killed John Gilbert and then found out he's got a ring like Rick's and that he's a bastard who knows our secret and hates vampires."

"Busy day," Stephanie didn't have it in her to react, "Where'd he get the ring?"

"It was his brother's – Elena's adoptive father's. Alaric's used to be John's, who had given his to Isobel," Damon explained.

"Huh."

Stephanie closed her eyes and tried to sleep. Images flew passed her lids, making her shudder. Fredrick's breath by her ear.

His facial hair tickling her cheek.

His hands on her neck.

"Hello, beautiful."

"Where's big brother now? He left you here. He doesn't want you anymore."

"We're going to have so much fun together."

Stephanie jack-hammered up, panting. Damon's soothing voice was murmuring to her, but the words were unintelligible. She managed to lie back down as Damon started to hum again. It was a nice and soft. Comforting. The words floated passed Stephanie's mind as his voice lulled her back to sleep.

_Who can say where the road goes_   
_Where the day flows, only time_   
_And who can say if your love grows_   
_As your heart chose, only time_

_Who can say why your heart sighs_   
_As your love flies, only time_   
_And who can say why your heart cries_   
_When your love lies, only time_

.

.

.

A few days later, Stephanie woke up alone in her bed and thought, today is the day I get my ass into gear and stop hiding.

She got up and threw on some clothes and did her hair into a ponytail. Steph grabbed her backpack and walked downstairs, passing Damon by.

"Where are you off to?" He asked, drinking something.

"School," Stephanie replied, turning to face a surprised Damon, "I can't hide in here forever, Damon. I just need to throw myself back into things."

Damon nodded seriously, "Okay then. Are you going to go and murder Thumper's sisters first? You must be hungry."

Stephanie rolled her eyes for the first time since she'd been home. "No, Damon. Have fun doing whatever it is that you when I'm gone all day." She waved half-heartedly and disappeared out the door. Not fifteen minutes later, someone knocked. Irritated, Damon slowly walked to the door and opened it, revealing Anna. He groaned.

"I knew I shouldn't have opened the damn door," Damon growled.

"I'm here on behalf of my mother," Anna said, giving a little mock curtsy.

"On behalf of or in spite of?" Damon asked, turning around leading the way to the living room.

"I'm sorry about what the other vampires did to Stephanie," Anna said regretfully. "Abducting her, torturing her, it wasn't supposed to go down like that."

"It took you this long to come over here to apologize?" Damon asked derisively.

"Damon," Anna said flatly. "I'm sorry, okay? Mother, Harper and I are all sorry about what happened."

"Oh, you know Fredrick had a little fun during his torture session," Damon said scathingly, "And you're playing house with half a tomb full of really pissed off vampires," Damon deadpanned, "What did you think was going to happen?"

"My mom is devastated," Anna told him, "They tried to overthrow her!"

"Why isn't she here telling me this?" Damon asked, irritated.

"She doesn't really do apologies," Anna explained.

"Well, that's a coincidence, because I don't do forgiveness, so you can just run along," Damon spitefully said, "And if you're going to continue to play house with your little vampire pets, you might want to stop robbing the blood bank dry. They're on to it."

"It wasn't us," Anna said quickly, "It's just my mom, Harper, and I now. Mother kicked the others out and they must have made some pit stops on the way out of town."

"Or they're still lurking around," Damon narrowed his eyes.

"Either way, they're not Mother's or my problems anymore," Anna told him, "Anyway, I just came by to apologize. I'll be leaving now." She inclined her head to Damon and showed herself out.

"Good riddance," Damon muttered under his breath. He turned around to go back upstairs when the doorbell was rang. He grumbled, but went and opened it.

"So, when do we start to hunt vampires?" John Gilbert asked Damon with faux cheer as he walked into the Salvatore Boarding House.

"Damn it!" Damon exploded, taking John by surprise, "Is today 'Let's drop by Damon's place if the guy hates my guts' day? What the hell? And did I black out when it was decided that we were supposed to hunt vampires together? Because, honestly, you wouldn't be my first choice as my partner. Not the second one either. Or the third. Or the – well, you know how to count, don't you John?"

John smirked. "Must have. Liz Forbes asked me to work with you. I guess she forgot to call this afternoon. Shame."

"Shame," Damon agreed. "You don't really care about hunting vampires though, do you? You're here, talking to me, a vampire you're not going to kill."

"Oh, I care very much," John disagreed.

"What does Isobel say about that?" Damon asked, "You know, considering that she is one."

"Isobel and I share a . . . mutual interest," John said cryptically, "The Original Jonathan Gilbert had an invention that was stolen by a vampire. That vampire was then burned alive in Fell's Church, or so Jonathan thought. The invention was lost forever."

"Hum," Damon said.

"But then, the vampires weren't killed, were they?" John asked. He and Damon circled each other in the foyer, both watching the other's every movement, every breath taken in and expelled. "They were trapped, and now they're free, thanks to you and your little sister, and the invention is retrievable."

"What is it?" Damon asked. John brushed passed him.

"The only thing that matters is that I want it back," John said, folding his arms across his chest, "And you're going to help me if you want your secret safe."

"I mean, why bring me into it, John?" Damon asked casually, "I don't even know what we're talking about or who has it."

"Oh, come on, Damon," John said, turning back around and facing the vampire, "You know who these people are and what they look like. He was friendly with a woman who turned out to be a vampire. Her name was Pearl. Does that ring a bell?"

It rang a giant freaking gong, and Damon had a hard time not letting his face show it. "I'm not playing anymore. Get out. Get out."

"I beg your pardon?" John asked.

"You know I only entertained this whole blackmail scheme of yours because I thought that you and Isobel could lead me to Katherine so I could stake her ass, but now I know that you have no idea where she is. Because if you did, you would know that, Katherine and Pearl were best friends. You don't know much at all, do you John?"

"I'll tell the entire Council what you are," John threatened.

"Tell them," Damon challenged, walking up to stand in the other man's face, "I'll kill every last one of them and then I'll sever your hand and kill you too. Do you understand that?" John stared impassively at the vampire, but Damon gave him no ground.

John nodded his head. "I'll see you around, Damon, with that invention." He led himself out and Damon went and bolt locked the door.

"There," Damon announced to himself, "No more idiots are getting in this house today!"

.

.

.

When Stephanie got to school, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The sky was a bright, cheery blue that day, warming the air. The usual school smells filtered passed her nose – perfume and cologne, sweat and tears, cafeteria food, and the fresh smell of new paper. The football players and cheerleaders – including Matt and Caroline – were over hanging about the picnic tables chattering happily to each other.  Steph steeled her nerves and started to the school building. As she passed students, Stephanie could hear whispers about her absence. They weren't as many as Steph's attendance record wasn't the best, but they were hard to block out. She ducked her head when she passed the jocks and cheerleaders' picnic table, hoping she'd not be noticed.  She made it, and got into the hallways of Mystic Falls High School without further incident as she made her way to her locker. Steph spun her combination in and stuffed her backpack inside and grabbed her books for her first few classes. She shut her locker door and in doing so revealed a relieved looking Jeremy Gilbert.

"I'm so glad that you're back!" Jeremy said smiling brightly. Stephanie controlled her trembling when he reached out and hugged her to his broad chest.

_"Hello, beautiful."_

Stephanie jerked back and saw Jeremy's hurt face.

"It's – it's not you, Jere, it's just me," She murmured, "You're fine."

"You sure you should be back in school?" Jeremy asked, crossing his arms. He looked down at her, frowning a little. "I mean, it's only been maybe a week. You could take a little more time off-"

"No," Stephanie said loudly, drawing the attention of a few other students. "No," She repeated quieter.

"Alright," Jeremy said and proffered his hand.

Stephanie ignored it and said, "I'm going to get to class. I'll see you later."

"Sure, later," She barely heard Jeremy's voice over the din in her ears as she escaped to History class. There wasn't many people in there, as it was early yet. A few students sat in the back and Alaric was at his desk in the front of the room. He looked up when he saw her enter.

"Welcome back," Alaric said.

"Thank you," Stephanie murmured and took her customary seat. Other students filed in slowly and then Elena and Bonnie came in side by side, talking quietly. They both froze when they saw Stephanie, both for different reasons.

Elena's face was filled with a combination of worry and elation that seemed to battle for dominance. Bonnie's was clouded with a furious kind of anger mixed with detachment. Stephanie had never seen those two emotions on a single person's face.

"Stephanie!" Elena greeted her first. She practically ran over and gave Steph a small hug, which the slighter girl returned hesitantly. She sat down in her usual seat next to her, and then Bonnie stiffly sat on Elena's other side. "It's good to see you," Elena said quieter, "You haven't called and I didn't want to bother you. How are you doing?"

"Better," Stephanie said quickly.

"Pity," Bonnie muttered and both Elena and Steph froze in their seats.

"Bonnie," Elena hissed angrily.

"No, Elena," Bonnie confronted her friend, "I'm not going to pretend everything's okay, because it's not. She," Bonnie pointed a Stephanie and lowered her voice, "helped let out twenty-five vampires into Mystic Falls. I say it's karma that she was caught by one of them."

"Pearl says we're not here for revenge? I say that's exactly what we're here for. Starting with her, and then her brother, and then anyone else that gets in our way."

"We're going to have so much fun together."

"But I'm sure it'll be a wide ride."

"Has anyone ever told you that you taste . . . delightful?"

"Excuse me," Stephanie murmured and stood, grabbing her things and left the classroom at a run. She heard Elena's voice calling after her, but Steph didn't stop. She ran through the halls and to her car, throwing her stuff inside. "Damn it, damn it, damn it."

Stephanie laid her head on the steering wheel and closed her eyes tightly.

She wasn't sure how long she had sat there when someone knocked onto her window, making Stephanie jump sky high. She spun around and saw Tyler Lockwood of all people staring at her. He motioned for her to roll down her window. She complied slowly.

"Hey," He greeted, half waving.

Stephanie looked at him like he had gone crazy.

"Um," Tyler cleared his throat, "all of your friends are looking for you, you know. Elena's going crazy, Jeremy's about thisclose to killing Bonnie for whatever she said to you, and Caroline's real upset. Matt's keeping the peace between everyone."

"Why are you out here?" Steph asked.

"I'm the messenger boy," Tyler said self-depreciatingly, "I've got a horrible temper myself, or I'd be in there keeping the peace and Matt would be out here."

Stephanie nodded slowly.

"So, you ready go back in?" Tyler asked.

"I'd rather go home," Stephanie said honestly.

"Then why haven't you?" Tyler asked bluntly. Stephanie paused and thought about it for a second. "I think that you want to be here," Tyler continued, "But you're not sure that you're strong enough. You're doubting yourself, because of something someone said to you. I'm not sure what happened to you – no one's been very open with the details – but I think it was bad. But hiding in your house or your car isn't making the problem go away. You should talk to someone about it, before it consumes you."

Stephanie gaped at Tyler Lockwood.

He rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm sorry."

"No," Steph choked out, "It's fine. You're fine. Let's – let's go back inside now."

"That worked?" Tyler looked surprised, "I just said whatever came to my mind?"

"Have you considered becoming a therapist?" Stephanie asked dryly.

.

.

.

The Miss Mystic Falls Pageant was upon the citizens of their small town before they knew it. Caroline and Elena were busy with everything that went with that, so Steph found herself spending more time with her brother and boyfriend. The former she was the most comfortable with, but Steph was beginning to maybe start back into a semi-normal relationship with Jeremy.

He'd escorted her to the ball – held at, you guessed it, the Lockwood home – where they met up with Elena and Damon.

"Doesn't Damon look so very dapper in his suit?" Elena giggled. Stephanie agreed, as she was the one who'd helped him pick it out, and Jeremy just rolled his eyes, uncaring. Elena had to go get ready with the other girls that had been nominated for Miss Mystic Falls, and so that left Damon with Stephanie and Jeremy.

"Shouldn't you be with the other escorts?" Jeremy asked Damon, and the other man shrugged.

"I do what I want," Damon winked. He seemed to see something over Jeremy and Stephanie's shoulder. "Excuse me. I have some business I need to take care of." Stephanie watched as he walked over to Anna, who was dressed nicely, even if it looked like she was going to a funeral. Jeremy seemed to have thought the same thing as he started to lowly hum the marches usually played at them.

Steph laughed and Jeremy smiled widely.

"A laugh!" He crowed, "Mission accomplished."

"Sh, I want to hear what they're saying over there," Stephanie shushed him, and Jeremy rolled his eyes but shut his mouth. They heard Damon talk about the invention that John Gilbert wanted so badly, before Anna agreed to ask her mother about it. They turned away when Damon walked by to where the escorts were supposed to have been a long while ago.

All of the Miss Mystic Falls girls were introduced, and Steph and Jeremy clapped loudly for Elena. They watched as Damon and her danced the "no-touching" dance from 1864.

"They're having fun," Jeremy breathed into Stephanie's ear. The vampire froze for a minute, before calming herself down and smiling up at Jeremy.

"You want to dance too?" She asked.

Jeremy shuffled his feet. "Nah, I'm not any good."

"I'll teach you, come on," Stephanie pulled Jeremy to the area cleared for dancing as soon as other couples headed to do the same. "It's like this . . ."

.

.

.

Once the festivities wound down, Damon took Elena, Jeremy, and Stephanie in his car, dropping Elena and Jeremy off before heading home. The two siblings were walking up to their front door, chattering quietly, when Anna materialized in front of them.

"Alright, this is getting weird," Damon complained at the sight of her.

"We're here to talk," Anna announced and Stephanie saw Pearl appear next to her daughter.

"Not in the mood ladies," Damon said, eyeing them, "Steph and I were just about to go to bed."

"Annabelle tells me that you're looking for something that belonged to Jonathan Gilbert," Pearl said quietly. Damon and Stephanie exchanged glances and stepped forward.

"We're listening," Stephanie said and Pearl pulled something out of her coat pocket.

"What is it?" Damon asked as Pearl handed him a ruddy looking cloth bag. He pulled out a circular device.

"Jonathan was very passionate about his inventions," Pearl told them, "He confided in me that he created something to track down the town's vampires."

"That was a pocket watch," Stephanie murmured.

"That's what it turned out to be, yes," Pearl agreed, "But it's not what I stole. I discovered my mistake when I saw the watch in Jonathan's hand the night they took us. Its style pointed at me."

"So what is this?" Stephanie asked.

"I have no idea, so now it's yours," Pearl responded.

"What's the catch?" Damon demanded.

"No catch," Pearl said, "My daughter wants to stay here. I want to stay here. You refuse to trust us, and for good reason. Consider this an apology." She and Anna disappeared, leaving the Salvatore siblings alone on their front porch.

"That was . . . weird," Damon commented.

"But you're glad that you have the device now," Stephanie said as she and Damon walked inside their home.

"Well, yes," Damon said.

"Then we'll forget about Pearl and Anna for now," Stephanie said decisively. They walked upstairs and parted their ways at Stephanie's door. When ready for bed, she climbed in. When Damon dropped by and offered to stay in there with her, Stephanie declined for the first time in two weeks. She was going to face her nightmares alone, and she was going to beat them.

Fredrick wasn't alive anymore, and Stephanie wasn't going to let him dictate her life.

.

.

.

tbc


	6. it's empty in the valley of your heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The mildest, drowsiest sister has been known to turn tiger if her sibling is in trouble."
> 
> -Clara Ortega

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any quotes borrowed/modified.

Damon blinked himself awake in his own bed for the first time in two weeks.

"Huh." And he hadn't been woken up by Stephanie's night terrors either. "Might be a good day, yet." Damon sprang out of bed and got dressed, popping over to his little sister's door and walking inside. The bed was messy and the shower was on in the bathroom, causing steam to curl up from underneath the door. Damon left and made his way down stairs to get something to eat when his phone rang. The number was labeled as 'Unknown caller.'

"Hello?" Damon answered.

"This is Alaric Saltzman," The voice on the other end answered.

Damon gave his phone a bizarre look. "Before I hang up, how did you get this number?"

"It's a mystery," Alaric said impishly, "Now, uh, I've done some digging on Elena's uncle. You interested?" Of course Damon was interested – it was Elena.

"What kind of digging?" Damon asked.

"Well, I've had an old friend from Duke who studied Criminology when we were there together. Let's just say he's a very proficient digger."

"Did he find anything?"

"Well, I had him run a track on John's cell records. He's getting a call from a number, the same number that Elena dialed to get Isobel, and then the call was disconnected."

Damon pursed his lips as he wandered through the library in the Boarding House. He leant upon a shelf of books and said, "Isobel knows John, whatever, we knew that."

"Right," Alaric said, "well, after that he started to get calls from a new number that I had my friend track. I got the new address. It's an apartment in Grove Hill."

Incredulous, Damon stepped away from the book shelf and started to pace, "Isobel's in Grove Hill?"

"I don't know," Alaric admitted, "I thought we could take look. See what we could find."

"Perfect," Damon said to him, "Give me the address."

"What, so you could go without me?" Alaric asked, "I don't think so."

"I'm not going to go with you, you tried to kill me," Damon scoffed.

"You did kill me," Alaric pointed out. Damon deliberated for about five seconds.

"Fine, whatever, pick me up in five," Damon said and hung up the phone. He flashed back upstairs and banged on Stephanie's door. She ripped it open and raised an eyebrow at Damon. Steph looked to have just stepped out of the shower, her wet hair curling below her shoulders, and a towel wrapped securely around her frame.

"Yes, Damon?" She looked up at him with her oak leaf green eyes.

"Teacher and I are going to Grove Hill – don't do anything stupid while I'm gone," Damon warned.

"Like what?" Stephanie asked, "Throw a wild rave in our backyard?"

Damon pointed at her, "Not without me, you aren't. If there's a rave going to go on at my house, I want to be there, along with about thirty sorority girls." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Right. What's in Grove Hill, anyway?" Stephanie asked curiously.

"Possibly Isobel," Damon smirked.

"Really?" Steph asked surprised. "How did you find that out?"

"Teacher's good for some things, I guess," Damon lamented, "See you later."

"Bye," Stephanie said, and shut the heavy wooden door. Damon heard a car pull into the driveway, and so he flashed down the stairs and into the passenger seat. Alaric jumped, surprised.

"Gah!" He yelled, spinning around and facing a smirking Damon, "Why? Just, why?"

"Gotta keep you on your toes, Teacher," Damon said. "Now, drive us to Grove Hill. Chop, chop, time's a wasting."

Alaric grumbled the entire drive there.

"It's this one here," Alaric said as they pulled up into the drive. They got out of his car, and he continued speaking, "It showed that whoever lives here paid three months in advance."

"Now it gets tricky," Damon said as they arrived at the front door, "I may or may not be able to get inside." He knocked on the door.

"How does that work?" Alaric asked, furrowing his brow, "Do you always have to be invited in?"

"By owner or someone of entitlement," Damon explained, "Short time motels and hotels are a bit of a . . . grey area. Kinda have to play it by ear." No one had opened the door yet, so Damon went forward to break the lock on the knob.

"Can we . . . not kill anyone tonight, please?" Alaric implored.

"You just brought me along for my company?" Damon asked, smirking. He twisted the lock and pushed open the door, and it swung ajar. He motioned for Alaric to go first, and so the History teacher went ahead of Damon.

"Doesn't look like anyone's home," He muttered. Damon looked at the door frame and swung one boot clad foot through the entrance. It made it through.

"We're good. No permanent resident, apparently," Damon said and shut the door behind him. He wandered towards the fridge and peeked inside and saw several bags of blood, "Uh, Rick, we might have company." Just seconds after he'd said that, a vampire flew out of the living room and jumped Alaric. The History teacher fended him off with some sort of contraption that was placed on his knuckles that contained wooden spikes poking out.

"Boys, boys, boys, enough now," Damon broke them apart and the other vampire was sprawled on the floor. He took a closer look the vampire on the ground and frowned, "I know you."

"Damon?" The vampire asked incredulously.

"Your name is Henry," Damon said, "From the tomb."

"Yes, Sir," Henry said as he climbed back to his feet, "What are you doing here?" Damon and Alaric exchanged glances.

.

.

.

Stephanie had woken up that morning to a cloudy day with no sunlight peeking through the window like it usually did. She blinked her rapidly, wondering what had woken her up. Then she noticed the shrill ringing of her phone.

Stephanie picked up, "Hello?" She murmured.

"Hey, Steph."

Warmth filled her and Stephanie found herself smiling. "Hi, Jeremy."

"Can I come over today? I mean, if it's okay with you?" He asked hesitantly, and Stephanie waited for a moment of consideration before agreeing.

"That'd be nice," She said.

"In an hour, then?" Jeremy asked. Stephanie quickly agreed and went to take long shower, but passed herself in the mirror. She looked at her face and noticed that she was well rested – there were no dark rings around her eyes this morning and she was no longer as pale as a ghost. All of her bruises had disappearing long ago, but sometimes, Stephanie felt phantom pains . . . She shook herself and continued to the shower. Steph turned the water almost as high as it could possibly go and closed her eyes at the feel of the warmth on her skin. She basked in the shower for several minutes before she started to wash her hair.

Nearly thirty minutes later Damon started to bang on her bedroom door, making Steph leap out of the shower and cinch a towel around her before she went to open the door in a crack. Once Damon had left to Grove Hill with Alaric, Stephanie emerged from her bedroom dressed, and headed downstairs. Stephanie got some blood from the cellar, and waited for Jeremy in the living room.

When his heavy knock on the Salvatore Boarding House came, Stephanie flashed to answer it. Jeremy stood on the front porch with jeans and some tee shirt with some obscure band cover art scrawled on it. He wore his customary and jacket and impish grin.

"Come in," Steph smiled at him, and Jeremy hurried to comply. They found themselves walking up to Stephanie's room, which had been cleaned two weeks ago to near perfection. Jeremy found himself staring in awe, as this was the first time he'd seen any of Steph's recent obsessive compulsive behavior.

"This is . . . really clean," He said.

"Yeah, I needed . . . a change," Stephanie said quietly and sat on her soft bed. Jeremy sat next to her, but made sure to leave a little space in between the two. He extended his hand a little, hoping that she'd take it. Stephanie reached over, grabbing Jere's hand in hers and squeezed it a little, making her boyfriend smile.

"Can I . . ." Jeremy raised his other hand to cup the side of Stephanie's face. His fingers ghosted on her cheek, making Stephanie's eyes flutter closed. Jeremy tilted Steph's head towards him and slowly started to lean down. Steph hesitantly met him halfway, her lips brushing Jeremy's. Jeremy released Steph's hand and brought it up to cup the back of Stephanie's head and bring her closer to him.

"No," Steph murmured, and Jeremy immediately dropped his hands, but continued to softly kiss Stephanie, "Thank you." Stephanie's hand came up to grip the front of Jeremy's jacket, and a sliver of thrill thrummed through him.

"I love you," Jeremy whispered into Stephanie's ear, "I love you so much."

"You taste wonderful, Miss Stephanie. Has anyone ever told you that?"

_"Hello, beautiful . . ."_

Stephanie shoved Fredrick's voice out of her mind.

"I love you too."

.

.

.

Damon trudged home after a semi-eventful day full of teachers and vampires and John's weird schemes. He shut the front door loudly when he got in, shouting for Stephanie.

"I'm home, dear sister," Damon's eyes swept the foyer and the living room, and seeing nothing, focused his hearing. An extra heart beat up stairs in Stephanie's room, but there were no voices speaking. Damon frowned, and made his way up there and opened the door, peeking inside.

On his sister's bed lie Stephanie, who was curled into Jeremy, both on top of the blankets.

"As long as they're wearing clothes," Damon muttered and shut the door. He sauntered on back to the living room as his phone rang.

"If this is Alaric again, I'm going to start to wonder if you have some sort of man-crush on me." Damon sang into the speaker.

"Um . . . should I be worried?"

"Elena," Damon, "hello, lovely light of my world. The beautiful pinnacle of sunshine in my dark existence. My-"

"Damon," Elena said flatly, "Are you drunk?"

"No, my dear wonderful lady," Damon started again.

"What's with you?" Elena asked, stifling a laugh.

"Oh, nothing. I'm not too hot about the fact that your little brother is cuddling my little sister, but the fact that she's letting someone besides me or you touch her . . . is fantastic."

"Damon, that's great!" Elena exclaimed.

"So, want me to come and cuddle you in celebration?" Damon wiggled his eyebrows.

"Damon!"

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.

.

Somehow Stephanie had been roped into helping for some Founder's Day event with Caroline, Matt, Tyler, and Bonnie. Even Jeremy was helping out a bit. They were all gathered in the cafeteria with numerous other students that had volunteered to assist with the festivities.

"Alright, this is specs for the History department, Founder's Day float; you will be recreating the Battle of Willow Creek," Alaric announced, "Tyler has been nominated to head up the production design."

Tyler looked at Alaric like he was crazy. "By who?" He asked incredulously.

"By me," Alaric replied flatly, "I've seen your sketches and they're good."

"Look, I'm not really into the whole thing-" Tyler started to make excuses, but Alaric wasn't having any of it.

"Yeah, just pick you team and be creative," Alaric said. His eyes caught something at the door and Steph turned around into her seat to see Elena and Damon arriving late. "Don't screw up."

"I don't think Damon knows how to be punctual," Stephanie muttered, causing Caroline to giggle and lean in to whisper into Steph's ear.

"You'd think the vampire speed would help."

"You'd think," Stephanie said dryly. Her eyebrows raised as Alaric started to lead Damon and Elena away quickly with a scowl on his face, and Damon wildly gestured for Stephanie to join them.

"If you'll excuse me for just a minute," She muttered and picked up her backpack. Jeremy mumbled some apologies and followed her quickly. They followed the other three to Rick's office, and the History teacher swiftly shut the door behind them once Stephanie and Jeremy were inside.

"Look – Lassie's come too. You're so faithful," Damon drawled to Jeremy.

"Dick," Jeremy said. Damon wiggled his eyebrows.

"Enough," Alaric said, "I saw Isobel last night." Everyone froze and stared at him.

Damon spoke first, "Isobel's here? In town?" Alaric nodded.

"What did she want?" Stephanie asked, furrowing her brows.

"Did you tell her about Uncle John? Are they working together?" Damon asked.

"No," Alaric said.

"'No,' they're not?" Damon asked, stepping forwards.

"No, I didn't ask," Alaric said.

"What about the invention?"

"Didn't ask."

"Did she know about the tomb vampires?" Damon asked incredulously.

"I don't know."

"Did words completely escape you?" Damon demanded in Alaric's face. The History teacher sat on his desk with is arms folded over his chest.

"I was a little too distracted by my dead vampire wife to ask questions," Alaric replied harshly. Damon spun around to face Elena, Jeremy, and Stephanie, then back to Alaric.

"What did she want?" He repeated Steph's earlier question.

"She wants to see Elena," Alaric said quietly. Elena looked up along with Jeremy.

"I'm supposed to arrange a meeting. I don't know why or even what she wants," Alaric said, "She just threatened to start killing people if it didn't happen."

"Oh. I take it that's not okay with you guys," Damon rolled his eyes and Stephanie and Elena both hit him.

"I want to do it; I want to meet her," Elena announced, "If I don't, I'll regret it."

"You're nuts," Damon told her, "If you think you're going alone."

"Of course I'm not," Elena said, "You and Steph are going to come with me."

"Damon can't," Alaric interrupted, "Isobel's forbidden any interference from him."

.

.

.

Elena sat at a table by herself while Stephanie stood over by the pool table and heard Elena's sharp intake of breath. Steph looked up to see a youngish woman with long dark hair, and big dark eyes wearing a leather jacket stand in front of Elena's table.

"Isobel," Elena said quietly.

"You must be Elena," Her birth mother said. She stared at Elena for a moment, then said, "You look just like her; it's eerie."

Elena straightened up, "You've met Katherine?"

"She found me, right after I turned," Isobel told her, "Out of curiosity, I suppose. She would be fascinated by you." Isobel turned her head to the side as she observed her birth daughter with little emotional response.

Elena looked at Isobel's necklace.  "Is that how you walk in the day?"

Isobel touched the necklace fondly.  "Katherine helped me obtain it."

"Who's my father?" Elena asked suddenly.

"Not important," Isobel deflected.  "He was a teenage waste of space."

"A name would be nice," Elena said flatly.

"It would, wouldn't it?" Isobel asked quickly, then said, "You ask a lot of questions." Stephanie focused a little more on the game of pool..

"You mean your boyfriend's kid sister over by the pool table?" Stephanie heard and she straightened up stiffly. "Stephanie Salvatore. Of course, you must know about Katherine's fling with Damon and her fixation on Stephanie. Is she like a sister to you too?" Stephanie's hands tightened on the pool stick.

Outside, Steph knew, Damon and Alaric were lurking around across the street.

"Why did you want to meet me?" Elena asked, and then spat, "It can't be to just catch up."

"Because I'm curious about you," Isobel said, "But the real reason is that I want what John wants: Jonathan Gilbert's invention."

"Of course," Stephanie muttered from her end of the room. "The invention."

Elena scoffed, "How do you know my uncle?"

"I used to spend a lot of time here when I was younger," Isobel explained, "John had a crush on me for years. He's the one that told me all about vampires."

"So what made you want to be one?"

"A very long list of reasons, some of which you've thought about," Isobel said and when Elena shook her head, said, "That's your first lie. You will grow older and Damon won't. Your relationship won't last very long, when you're human."

"Alright, but I don't have what you're looking for," Elena said in a hard voice and stood to leave. Isobel grabbed her wrist in what looked like tight grip, and Stephanie started to rush over.

"Sit down," Isobel barked, "And tell your friend to walk away."

Elena nodded at Stephanie, but the shorter girl loitered.

"I mean it," Isobel said, and Steph stopped walking towards then and went back to the pool table. Isobel made more threats about the invention and tried to get Elena to tell Damon to give it to her.

"Then the blood will be on your hands," Isobel told her and left, "It was nice meeting you, Elena." Stephanie quickly walked to Elena's side as the other girl was becoming teary eyed. When she was only a feet few from her friend, Stephanie saw Bonnie approaching Elena's other side.

There was a stare down, in which Stephanie was prepared to walk away from so Elena could have another chance with her friend, but Bonnie left with a last parting glare.

"Come on," Stephanie said to Elena, "Damon's waiting outside."

After Damon had comforted Elena, he'd headed off to go to Isobel's hide out which he'd found earlier that day using some technique he'd taught Isobel himself.

"I'm going to go home," Elena said, "and get some things for the Founder's Day float. I'll meet you there later?" Stephanie nodded left Elena to her car, deciding to run to the high school.

She located Caroline almost immediately, who was sitting cheerfully on the Gone with the Wind themed float as she decorated it on the top. Steph walked over to her and quietly at next to Caroline, and said, "Put me to work."

Caroline shrieked in surprise, whirling around and glaring at Stephanie, who smiled.

"Don't do that! You scared the crap out of me," Caroline moaned.

"Sorry, Care," Steph said quietly, "But I was serious. What do you want me to do?"

"Um, make some of these streamers," Caroline said, and showed her what she meant. "Okay?" Stephanie nodded and set to work with the paper. Caroline cleared her throat and bent down to Stephanie's ear.

"How did the meeting with Elena's birth mom go?"

Stephanie looked up at Caroline, surprised. Seeing her expression, "Caroline elaborated, "Elena told me about the adoption and stuff, and that she was going to go see her vampire birth mother today. So. How did it go?"

"Isobel's a bitch," Steph deadpanned, and Care gaped.

"Seriously? I mean, I knew that you had to be bad to give up Elena, but geez. What did she do?" Caroline said. Stephanie filled the other girl in on the meeting, the two of them working on the float all the while. Stephanie stopped talking for a moment, and put a finger to her lips to get Caroline to quiet down as well.

"What's wrong?" Caroline asked straightaway.

"I hear Isobel and Elena talking . . . Matt!" Steph go up and started towards the other boy, but the vampire had already jumped on the other of the float, making it crash down onto Matt's arm, trapping him.

"Matt!" Caroline yelled, and was at Steph's side instantly. "Do something, Steph!"

Tyler and a bunch of other boys ran to him and tried to shove it up, but the float stayed.

"Steph!" Caroline repeated.

"Damn it," Stephanie muttered, "I'm on it." She ran over to and sidled next to Tyler who barely gave her an amused glance and she started heave with the rest of them. Steph put some of her strength behind her push and lifted the float off of Matt. The some people scrambled to help him get out, and Steph was relieved to drop the float back on the ground. Stephanie rushed to Matt's side along with Caroline.

"Caroline, call an ambulance," Steph said quickly, and the blond girl hurried to comply, "Let me see, Matt." The boy showed her his arm and Stephanie checked it over. "This is definitely broken."

Caroline rushed back over. "The ambulance is going to take fifteen to twenty minutes!" She knelt by Matt and Tyler hastily ran over.

"I have my car keys; I can take him to the hospital," Tyler said quickly.

"Caroline can take me," Matt growled.

"But I can't drive," Caroline protested.

"Then I'll wait, it's fine," Matt said.

"You will not wait! You need to see a doctor, Tyler's driving, and end of story!" Caroline yelled.

"Fine," Matt spat.

"Go!" Caroline shouted at him.

"Alright, I'll bring my car around," Tyler rushed off.

"Are you guys going to be okay?" Stephanie asked, her eyes cutting over to Elena's form, "I need to checks something out."

"Sure, sure, we're fine," Caroline said, "See you later." Stephanie nodded and walked over to Elena's side.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Steph asked urgently.

Elena looked near tears, "Isobel said that I had to give her the device or else she won't give back Jeremy. She kidnapped him! And she made the float fall onto Matt as a warning."

Stephanie felt like the air had been knocked out of her. "Jere's . . . missing?"

"Yes, yes!" Elena said, running a hand through her hair, "Isobel had one of her minions grab him!"

"Let's call Damon," Stephanie said, trying to compartmentalize. Jeremy was in trouble, but Isobel wouldn't kill her bait. Not until she had the Gilbert device.

Steph saw Bonnie approach them, worry obvious on her face.

"What happened over there?" She asked.

"Isobel's sent a warning," Stephanie said quickly, "Then, to make sure it sunk in, she grabbed Jeremy and won't let him go until she has the Gilbert device in her hands."

"Where is it?" Bonnie asked.

"Damon has it," Elena said.

"Then call him to hand it over," Bonnie said. Elena frowned.

"It's harmful to vampires, Bonnie. You said so yourself. If they get it, they'll kill Steph and Damon," Elena protested.

"How does it work?" Stephanie asked, her fingers twitching anxiously. "Maybe we can deactivate it somehow." Elena and Bonnie exchanged glances. "What am I missing?" Steph asked.

"Emily Bennett spelled all of Jonathan Gilbert's inventions," Elena explained, "Nothing of his every worked by itself."

"Then, could you de-spell it?" Stephanie asked desperately, "Make it so it doesn't hurt vampires, and then we could give it to Isobel."

"She'll find out eventually," Bonnie warned.

"Yes, but it will give us more time," Stephanie protested and looked to Elena for help.

Elena nodded.  "Could you, Bonnie?"

.

.

.

"No. No. No."

"Damon, please!" Elena begged.

"No," Damon said, "I like being a living dead person."

"Bonnie can make it so the device doesn't work," Elena protested.

"I don't trust Judgy," Damon said flatly. Damon, Stephanie, Elena, and Bonnie were all gathered in the living room of the Boarding House. "I'll get Jeremy my own way."

"How are you going to do that, Damon?" Stephanie asked scathingly, "Isobel is a vampire, Jeremy could be dead the second you walk through the door." Damon was taken aback by his sister's tone.

"Damon, please," Stephanie said in a softer voice, "I love him."

Damon heaved a great sigh and turned to Bonnie, "Are you even up for this? You're not Emily."

"Pick a book."

"Pardon?" Damon scrutinized her.

Bonnie repeated, "Pick any book – your favorite."

"Call of the Wild. Jack London," Damon drawled. Bonnie's eyes closed and she stuck out her hand, letting a book fly into it. She threw the book at Damon's head.

"Huh," Damon looked at it. "Great parlor trick. But I guess it'll have to do." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the device, setting it into Elena's waiting palm.

.

.

.

Jeremy watched as his Uncle John dragged himself to one of the chairs and tried to dredge of a little sympathy; it didn't exactly work as this was the same man that had threatened to expose his girlfriend and her brother to the town as vampires.

"So, what is she after?" Jeremy asked, narrowing his eyes at John. The older man raised an eyebrow.

"I think you know," John told him in a tone of disgust, "On the account that you're dating a vampire."

"Yeah, I am," Jeremy agreed easily, "She's a wonderful person; empathetic and kind. She likes to help people and she's very smart. She's strong."

"She's a murderer," John said flatly, "She can turn her emotions off. She's smart because she's been around over a century. She's not strong – vampires' self-control can be zero in a second when there's blood around."

"You're wrong," Jeremy said simply, "She likes to feel her emotions all the time. She went to Harvard because at one point she wanted to be a doctor. She's the strongest person I know, to have gone what she recently went through, and come out on top."

"Stephanie Salvatore is nothing but a vampire whore," John spat, "And her brother is no better. Worse, even."

Jeremy's fists clenched and he glared at John, "Don't talk about her like that. Her or Damon."

"I can't speak the truth?" John asked.

"You can't speak prejudice against a person you don't even know," Jeremy corrected through clenched teeth, "and I'm not talking about reading about someone. You might have read cold facts, but you haven't spoken with her, heard her opinions and feelings."

"You think you're in love with her," John realized disgustedly, "If your parents could see you today-"

"They'd be proud of me for standing up in for what I believe in," Jeremy said strongly, "They'd be proud of me for finding a great girl that I can love as much as Mom loved Dad."

.

.

.

Elena walked up to Isobel with the invention clenched tight in her hand and took comfort in the fact that Damon and Stephanie were only a short feet away from her, just out of sight.

"Where's the device?" Isobel demanded.

"Where's my brother?" Elena countered.

"This isn't a negotiation," Isobel said, "Where's the invention?"

"Where's my brother?" Elena asked again.

"Do you really think I came alone?" Isobel asked softly. Two vampires stepped up from some place behind Elena, and they stood menacingly, smiling cheerfully.

"Do you really I came alone?" Elena asked as Damon and Stephanie appeared behind Isobel. The vampire turned around and saw them and a flash of irritation could be seen in her dark eyes.

"For God's sake, call home," Isobel said, bored.

"What?" Elena asked, her forehead creasing.

"Call home," Isobel repeated, "Ask to speak to your brother Jeremy." Elena rushed to comply and she breathed out a sigh of relief when her brother answered.

"Hello?"

"Jeremy," Elena said, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm home," Jeremy said, then added quietly, "Some vampires beat up Uncle John at Isobel's place and I guess she texted or something? 'Cause they disappeared and he took me home. Jenna's here – we told her that he just fell."

"Okay, I'm glad you're alright," Elena said, "I'll see you soon."

"Tell Steph not to worry," Jeremy said and Elena said Isobel roll her eyes.

"Sure," Elena said and hung up. "You were never going to hurt him," She said to Isobel.

"No," Isobel said, "I was going to kill him." Elena felt her lips tighten into a thin line and watched as Stephanie's fists clenched.

"Don't look for any redeeming qualities in me," Isobel said, shaking her head, "I don't have any."

"But you took a risk with Damon. How did you know that he would give it to me?" Elena asked.

"Because he's in love with you. And he loves his sister, and for some reason, she likes your brother. So I was guaranteed the device, no matter what," Isobel said. Elena said nothing more and stepped forward, dropping the device into her birth mother's hand.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being such a monumental disappointment," Elena said, tears gathering in her eyes, though her voice stayed strong and firm. "It keeps the member of my real mother perfectly intact."

"Good-bye, Elena," Isobel said. Then she gave a sardonic grin, "As long as you keep your Salvatore's close, you're doomed. Katherine was smart – she got out. But we all know that you're not Katherine." Isobel walked away, and Damon went to Elena's side. He engulfed her into a hug.

"She was a bitch," Damon said, "You didn't need her anyway. And what does she know about us Salvatore's? We're the best things to keep close." Elena laughed into Damon's shoulder.

"Can you take me home?" Elena asked him.

"Sure," Damon murmured and kissed her.

.

.

.

"So, I'm convinced that John is Elena's father."

Stephanie looked up from reading The Call of the Wild on the couch and furrowed her eyebrows. "What?"

"It totally makes sense," Damon elaborated as he poured himself a cup of bourbon, "And I'll explain it to you."

"Please, do," Stephanie asked, stretching out of the couch.

Damon explained his theory, complete with hand gestures and sounds affects. Afterwards, feeling as though she'd watched a puppet show, nodded.

"That makes sense," Steph agreed.

"It does?" Damon asked, then said, "Of course it does."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Did you tell her?"

"Yeah," Damon nodded and took a drink.

" . . . How'd she take it?"

"Eh."

"Figured."

.

.

.

"Should I wear a dress? Or normal clothes? I'm not on a float, but it's Founder's Day. I could wear a dress, but not a period dress. What do you, Damon? Damon?" Stephanie spun around and watched as Damon comically pretended to wake up from his place leaning on the wall.

"I'm up, I'm up! I was just bored to sleep by this conversation," Damon drawled, "Why are you asking me?"

"Because you're secretly very good at fashion advice; admit it," Stephanie said, putting a hand on her hip. Damon shrugged.

"Tell me what you think or I'm going to tell Elena about the banjo incident," Stephanie said.

Damon narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't."

"I'll call Lexi and have her mail me the tape," Stephanie said flatly.

"Wear nice clothes, but not a dress," Damon commanded, "A dressy shirt, but just some nice jeans. No hats or heels."

"Thank you, Damon," Steph said and dived into her closet.

"Yeah, yeah, as long as you don't tell anyone about the banjo playing, alright?" Damon asked and Stephanie laughed.

They met the Gilbert's at the Founder's Day Parade, where Damon mounted the float with Elena, both in their period clothing. Jeremy was on the Battle of Willow Creek float with Tyler and a few other History classmates that Steph didn't know personally. Stephanie was standing in the crowd by herself and waved at her brother and friends when she spotted Bonnie.

"Bonnie!" She called, and hurried to the other girl's side. The witch looked displeased, but not outright hostile like she had been. "Bonnie."

"What do you want, Stephanie?" Bonnie asked tiredly.

"Thank you," Steph said quietly, "For de-spelling the Gilbert device."

"You know I didn't do it for you," Bonnie said, "I –"

"-Did it for Elena, yes, I know," Steph finished, "But I want to thank you all the same. You saved Damon and my lives, and I'll be forever grateful to you." Bonnie looked a little surprised, but merely attempted a half smile in response. "Bye, Bonnie." Steph turned around and missed Bonnie's look of guilt. After the parade and while the sun went down, Damon and Elena went off to the Grill, leaving Jeremy with Stephanie to mingle around.

"So, you looked very handsome in your war outfit," Stephanie told Jeremy, "But I prefer you in your normal clothes. It's much less eerie."

"Yeah?" Jeremy asked, genuinely curious, "That sucks 'cause they're a lot of Founder's Day's things that go on where dressing up is a given." Steph pushed Jeremy a little, making him stumble.

"Hey, watch it. Vampire, remember? I'm just a human with my measly human strength," Jeremy laughed. Stephanie opened her mouth to respond when a harried looking Damon and Elena appeared at Jeremy and Steph's elbows.

"Fifteen words or less," Damon announced, "Tomb vamps are here. Founding families are the target. Stephanie, get Elena and Jeremy out of here, now."

"Where are you going?" Stephanie demanded.

"That's more than fifteen words, Stephanie," Damon said and brushed passed his sister and her boyfriend.

"Damon!" Steph yelled angrily, but he kept on walking. She turned back to the Gilbert siblings and said, "Let's go, then. Quickly." Stephanie led her best friend and boyfriend away from the large crowd.

"Wait," Elena interrupted, "Bonnie, Tyler, and Caroline and Matt are around here somewhere. We have to find them!" Stephanie pressed her lips together into a tight line.

"Stephanie," Elena pleaded, "They're our friends."

"Alright, let's go," Steph said, "Hurry, hurry." They practically ran through the crowd, pushing their way through but found none of their friends.

"Where are they?" Elena asked desperately.

"Maybe they're at the Grill," Jeremy suggested as he took Stephanie's hand into his. "Should we go check over there?"

"We really, really need to leave," Steph muttered, but refused to give up the search, "Let's head over to the Grill and check it out then." She led the way, and they all pushed out of the crowd as the fireworks started loudly overhead.

"Ahh," Stephanie moaned, "What the –" Her hands gripped the sides of her head and she dropped to the ground in between Jeremy and Elena. "It hurts, it hurts, ahhh!" She screamed.

"What's going on?" Jeremy asked Elena, his eyes wide.

"I don't know," Elena cried, "What about Damon?" Jeremy put his hand on Stephanie's back as she screamed, her hands cradling her head. Elena saw a deputy heading their way quickly, and –

"Jere, look! He has a Vervain dart, like Alaric's," She hissed. The deputy came closer, running now. "Pick her up, we need to go!"

Jeremy scooped Stephanie up into his arms and he and Elena started to run just as Alaric came into view and detoured the deputy. He ran to their sides and looked at Stephanie screaming in Jeremy's arms.

"We don't know what happened, she just dropped," Elena said quickly as Alaric ushered them into a dark crevasse between two buildings. Stephanie's screams petered off into quiet whimpers and Jeremy held her closer to his chest.

"She's not the only one," Alaric said, "Cops have gotten everyone who's gone down, injecting them with Vervain."

"What?" Jeremy asked.

"They're rounding up the vampires," Elena realized. A few seconds later, Stephanie began to rouse in Jeremy's arms, and he was reluctant to let her sit up on her own.

"Let me go back and see what's going on," Alaric said and excused himself.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," She murmured, rubbing her head, "It was just like needles were pressing into my skull and it just stopped . . ."

Elena and Jeremy looked at each other, and then Elena stood and said one thing, "Damon."

Stephanie looked up abruptly, "Where is he?"

"We don't know, which is why we need to go find him," Elena said firmly. Alaric came back.

"I saw at least five vampires go down," He said, "They're taking them to your family's old building." Alaric nodded to Jeremy and Elena.

"It's the Gilbert device," Stephanie said, still catching her breath, "It has to be."

"But how did he get it work?" Elena asked, "Bonnie fixed it."

"She must not have," Jeremy growled, "She probably never meant to de-spell it at all."

"No, Jere," Elena said, "We saw her do it."

"No, he's right," Steph said, "Think about it, Elena. We asked Bonnie to de-spell a device that could protect people against vampires."

"So we could protect Damon and you," Elena said.

"Vampires," Jeremy reminded his sister.

"Let's go," Elena said, "We have to find Damon." Jeremy helped Stephanie up and then held her hand as the three of them ran to the Gilbert building. Alaric went to check out things around the center of activity.

"Wait a minute," Stephanie murmured and Jeremy and Elena paused, "The building's on fire!" She ran towards the old Gilbert building with the Gilbert's on her heels. They ran into John.

"Where's Damon?" Elena demanded.

"With the rest of them," John said, and then added as he took in Stephanie's slight form in between Elena and Jeremy, "Or where they should be. It's over for them."

"You're crazy," Elena said. Stephanie's eyes searched the building. A horrible feeling of anxiety and despair was building her gut, making her miss most of John and his daughter and nephew's conversation.

"Go ahead," John said to Steph, breaking her out of her reverie, "You won't make it out. It'll save me the trouble of killing you myself."

"You guys know the building well, is there another entrance somewhere?" Stephanie asked Jeremy and Elena.

"I, utility door, there's on around the side," Elena pointed and Stephanie rushed passed John. Elena and Jeremy made to follow, but John stopped them.

He hissed, "You take one more step and I'll tell the deputies that they missed a vampire."

Jeremy roared with anger and reeled back his right fist and punched John in the nose, making the older man tumbled to the ground.

"Don't you ever threaten my girlfriend, again!" He growled.

.

.

.

Stephanie left all of the Gilbert's behind as she rushed to the utility door as fast as her vampire speed would take her.

"Hey! You can't go in there!" Bonnie's voice yelled behind her, making Steph turn around quickly. "The fire will take you out."

"He's my brother, Bonnie. I have to," Stephanie said, and her eyes narrowed, "If he dies, watch your back Bonnie Bennett, because your days will be numbered." She ran into the building, ignoring the heat of the fire as it burned her through her clothing. She reached for the door handle, snapping her hand back as it scalded her porcelain skin.

Elena and Jeremy came rushing in after Bonnie, making the witch yell after them, "You can't go in there!"

Stephanie ignored their protested as she ripped the door open and the fire began to recede a little. She flashed in using speed she didn't even know she possessed. Once inside the basement, she caught sight of Major Lockwood dead, and Anna's shriveled body, along with several other tomb vampires that were on fire.

"Damon!" She caught sight of her older brother and rushed to his side, "Come on, we have to get you out of here." Stephanie heaved him up off the ground and ran with him up the stairs and out of the old Gilbert building.

"Damon," Elena rushed to his other side and the two girls supported the older vampire between. "I'm so glad you're okay."

He smirked. "It would of bad taste to mention that I'm so hot, I'm on fire, wouldn't it?"

Stephanie laughed loudly out of pure relief, which nearly turned to sobs. Jeremy came and it was almost like a four-way hug the way everyone supported each other.

"Okay, okay, get off of me," Damon groaned, "I'm still undead and kicking and a sexy beast." Jeremy drew Steph away and pulled her into his arms, and Elena held tightly onto Damon's hand.

"Thank you," Damon said to Bonnie. She witch nodded.

.

.

.

When Stephanie got a moment to herself, she ran into Bonnie again, this time outside the Grill.

"Hey," She said quietly.

"Hey," Bonnie returned.

"You just missed Elena," Stephanie said, "She went to get her clothes and is heading home."

"I was looking for you, actually," Bonnie said.

"Oh," Steph said.

"Elena is my best friend," Bonnie said, "Because she loves Damon, I couldn't let him die in the fire."

"I'm very grateful," Stephanie told the other girl, "I hope you know that."

"I know," Bonnie assured her, "But I hope you know that things have to change. Damon kills people; maybe not all the time or as much as when you got into town, but he still does it. Damon has to stop."

"We both want the same thing," Steph said, but her eyes narrowed.

"No," Bonnie corrected, "We both want to protect the people we love. It just happens that Damon's one of the ones you love. You saw what I was able to do tonight. I know who I am now. If Damon so much as spills a single drop of human blood, I'll end him. Even if I have to take you with him."

"Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that," Stephanie said, her eyes hard, "But you understand this – I will not make it easy for you."

Bonnie nodded, tilting her head in acknowledgement.

.

.

.

Stephanie sought out Jeremy in the Grill and took comfort in his warm embrace.

"Where're Damon and Elena?" Steph asked.

"Elena's on her way home and Damon said to tell you he was heading over to meet her. Looks like it's just you and me," Jeremy murmured into her hair.

"Yeah," Steph sighed into his shirt.

Her phone buzzed.

"Leave it," Jeremy muttered.

"What if it's important?" Stephanie asked.

"What could possibly be important right now?" Jeremy asked, and then his phone buzzed. He sighed and Stephanie raised her eyebrows.

Steph's phone started to ring again, and she slipped her hand into her pocket and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Stephanie. It's been a while."

"Katherine."

.

.

.

tbc


	7. knee deep in the river, tryin' to get clean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We haven't officially met. I'm Katherine." 
> 
> Katherine Pierce, Season 2, Episode 01 - The Return

Katherine's lilting, airy voice sent icy trembles down Stephanie's spine as she pressed the phone to her ear. She dug her fingers into the hard plastic of the cellular device, no doubt creating minuscule indentations into the frame.  Stephanie stepped out of Jeremy's embrace, distancing herself from her human love, creating space between her old life and her new one. Jeremy didn't try to mask the confusion that flashed across his face, but Steph saw that he shoved the hurt out of his eyes.

"Katherine," Stephanie greeted detachedly. Jeremy's eyes widened as he grew alarmed. He opened his mouth to say something, doubtlessly murmurs that Steph had to be mistaken, but Stephanie quickly brought a finger to her lips to signal for silence. He reluctantly obliged, but kept his eyes firmly on Stephanie.

"What do you want?" Steph asked coolly.

"Can't I call on an old friend?" Katherine laughed.

"Not when that friend is a lying, selfish, manipulative bitch," Stephanie shot back acerbically.

"Now, now, Steph," Katherine's voice took on a warning tone, "I wouldn't say such things."

"How did you get this number?" Stephanie asked and saw Jeremy's fists clench.

"I borrowed some of Elena's things and found her phone in them. I saw your number and decided to give you a call," Katherine said.

"Leave Elena alone," Steph warned her.

"Oh, I've already been invited into Elena's house. Say hello to her and John when you see them – the ambulance might be there before you, though."

"What?" Stephanie asked as panic fluttered in her heart.

"There was an accident," Katherine said with fake compassion, "But I was lucky it happened after I kissed Damon. He thought I was his precious Elena, which soured the experience a little, but I won't be too bothered."

Steph seethed and the mistreatment of his older brother's feelings. "Why would you toy with him like that?"

"I'm attracted to him," Katherine said slyly, "And he's different now. I like it."

"Stay away from Damon and Elena," Stephanie warned again, her voice as dangerous as a live wire.

"Or . . . what?" Katherine asked and Steph could just imagine the wry twist of the older girl's lips, "What are you going to do to me?" She laughed at her own questions and answered them herself, "Nothing. You can do nothing. Bye for now, Steph. I'll make sure to stop by your house later. Maybe we'll talk about boys."

The line went dead and Stephanie's veins turned to ice. Jeremy saw the blood drain from Steph's face and he put his large hands on his girlfriend's shoulders.

"That was Katherine? What happened?" He asked urgently.

"We need to get to your house, now," Stephanie said quickly, snapping out of her despair.

"Why? What's Katherine done?" Jeremy caught on quickly, "What did she do to my sister?"

"I don't know," Stephanie said honestly, gripping Jeremy's hand in hers almost too tightly for the human, "But we need to get to your house right now. She said an ambulance was on its way." She led him quickly away and they ran to the Gilbert home. They met Elena and Damon on their way out of the house.

"Jeremy! Steph!" Elena released Damon's hand from hers and launched herself first at her brother, and then Stephanie. "Some tomb vampire must have escaped! Whoever it was has been here and attacked John!"

Steph's eyes sought out Damon's over Elena's shoulder and saw no deceit in his gaze; he hadn't yet realized that he'd kissed Katherine and not Elena. She took herself out of Elena's embrace and put the other girl at an arm's length.

"It wasn't a tomb vampire that hurt John," Stephanie said grimly.

"What do you know?" Damon asked through eyes narrowed with thought.

"Katherine called me and boasted about her return," Steph said unenthusiastically, "And how there was an ambulance on its way to the house."

Elena and Damon's eyes widened simultaneously, and Stephanie watched as recognition flashed in her brother's blue irises.

"How did she get your number?" Damon asked.

"She stole Elena's clothes and her phone from her locker or something," Stephanie waved a hand, uncaring, "But we need to figure out what to do."

"We need to get to the hospital first," Elena said firmly, "John's there and might know something, and so are Caroline and everyone else."

"Why?" Jeremy asked, eyebrows rising, "What happened?"

"There was an accident," Elena replied, "Caroline's really bad off right now." The four came to a consensus to go to the hospital, and all piled into Elena's car, driving as fast as they could to see their friend. Once there, Damon made a bee-line towards Liz Forbes and Bonnie appeared at Elena's elbow. Jeremy narrowed his eyes at her and his lips compressed into a thin, angry line. Stephanie stopped him from charging the witch by placing her hand on the small of his back.

"How's Caroline?" Stephanie asked quietly Bonnie. The witch looked at her coolly before turning her concerned gaze to Elena. Steph felt Jeremy tense.

"They don't know if she's going to make it," Bonnie said anguished.

"What?" Elena asked breathlessly as Bonnie enfolded the girl into her arms. Stephanie felt as if someone had punched her into the gut and she seemed to choke air. Jeremy brought her close to him, wrapping an arm around her shoulder while Damon walked towards them, his eyes brimming with barely concealed concern.

"Is there something you can do? Is there a spell or something?" Elena's frantically voiced questions made hope rise in the pit of Steph's stomach, but Damon's deep voice squashed them before they could get too high.

"She doesn't know how," Damon said flatly as he met them. Elena wiped her teary eyes and took Damon's hand. "Do you?"

"No, I don't," Bonnie agreed reluctantly.

"No, you don't," Damon repeated.

"Damon," Elena warned.

He continued, "Because it took Emily years to learn spells like that."

Bonnie stepped back and an air of cool detachment fell over her features as she replied to Damon, "Yeah, well, I can take down a vampire; that spell was easy to learn. Want me to try it out on you?" Stephanie felt her hands clench, but Damon paid the witch no mind as he turned to his girlfriend.

"I can give some of my blood to Caroline," Damon offered seriously, "Or Stephanie could."

"No, no," Elena said immediately.

"It'll just be enough to heal her and she'll be safe in the hospital," Damon argued, "She'll be out in a day and she'll feel better than she ever has in her entire life."

"It's too risky," Elena said, but Steph saw her will weaken a little. She knew that Elena trusted Damon.

"Do it," Bonnie's unyielding voice said. She turned to Elena and said a softer tone, pleadingly, "This is Caroline, Elena. We can't let her die." She turned back to Damon. "Do it."

"If I do this, can we have a little truce between you and us?" Damon indicated himself and Stephanie.

"No," Bonnie said, "But you'll do it anyway. For Elena." Jeremy opened his mouth to say something scathing, no doubt, but Stephanie quieted him when she rubbed the small of Jere's back, putting a little pressure on him. He looked down at her, but relaxed some. The Bennett witch stalked away and Jeremy turned to Steph.

"Is there something I'm missing?" Jeremy asked, "Like, a reason that we're being civil to her? She tried to have you and Damon killed."

"But I wasn't, and she helped me rescue Damon from your parents' building," Steph reminded to him.

Jeremy crossed his arms, but said nothing in response directly to Stephanie, instead grumbling under his breath. Damon and Elena disappeared down the hallway to Caroline's room and were back a few minutes later.

"We should talk about the Katherine thing now," Elena said grimly.

"Right, let's find somewhere quiet," Damon told them and ushered his girlfriend, sister, and his sister's boyfriend all into an empty hospital room and locked the door behind them. It was a private room with creamy walls and a window which overlooked the parking lot and the post office across the street.

"Lovely view," Jeremy whispered to Steph, and she gave him a half-smile, glad that his anger had deflated or at least been redirected.

"Okay, so, Stephanie, you talked to Katherine," Damon said, and Steph and Jeremy turned back to their siblings. "Did she say what she wanted?"

"No," Stephanie said quietly, "Nothing."

"Well, she certainly knows how to make an entrance," Damon said dryly. Stephanie winced and looked over at Elena, but the other girl seemed unperturbed at this. Perhaps Damon hadn't told her about the kiss, which Stephanie was sure Damon now realized had been with Katherine. Steph looked at her older brother firmly and nodded her head in Elena's direction sharply, once. Damon sighed and rolled his eyes.

"She's already pretended to be Elena once," Damon said and Elena's eyes widened.

"What? When?" She demanded.

"I thought I was talking to you at the school – she'd just picked up your clothes and said she'd meet me at your house. She'd kissed me and then left. I went to your house to discover you in the kitchen with a bleeding John," Damon said impassively. Elena seemed deeply disgruntled, but Stephanie tuned out of their conversation as Elena told Damon that it wasn't his fault.

"Katherine's been in our house," Jeremy moved the lovebirds along onto a new strand of conversation, "That means she's been invited in. What do we do about that?"

Damon pursed his lips, "Move?"

"That wasn't helpful," Elena admonished severely, "It's a serious concern."

Damon shrugged and said indelicately, "When Katherine wants you dead, there's little you can do about it. Since no one here is dead, I'd say Queen Bitch has other plans. For all of us."

"Right, well, we need to figure out what those other plans are," Stephanie said earnestly, "and not provoke her in the process."

Damon raised his hands in the air innocently, "Hey, don't look at me, dear sister. I'm extremely invested in this. I'd rather not have my ex from hell do in my new gal pal." The three other occupants simultaneously looked at Damon with incredulous expressions.

"Ex from hell?" Jeremy asked.

"Gal pal?" Elena demanded.

Stephanie did nothing but face palm. She peeked from in between her fingers, "We need to ask John why Katherine wanted to kill him."

"It's Katherine!" Damon said loudly, "We're not going to find out anything before she wants us to know about it, sister dear. You know that I'm right."

"I think Steph's right," Jeremy countered.

"Why is that not a surprise?" Damon asked dryly, his gaze sweeping up towards the ceiling.

Jeremy glared, "He could know something. Wasn't Elena's birth mother in touch with Katherine? Steph mentioned that to me. And John was in touch with Isobel. He might know something through her."

"I've got a better idea," Damon sang.

"What's that, Damon?" Stephanie asked as her hands came to rest on her hips.

"Ignore the bitch," He replied, "She likes all this attention we're giving her."

"Is that smart?" Elena asked him warily.

"If Katherine thinks she's being ignored," Damon said easily, "It'll lure her out. Then you can make a move."

"Then what?" Jeremy asked him.

"Stake her? Rip her head off? Something poetic? I really don't' give a damn," Damon suggested and Elena swatted him. He swept her into his arms and cradled her face, "If you're seriously worried for your safety tonight, ask Jenna if you can spend the night with Stephanie."

Stephanie knew that if Elena was to do such a thing, Steph would not be in the same wing of the house as Elena and Damon. She'd sleep in the living room if she had to.

Jeremy seemed to catch her line of thinking and smiled at her. "You could always sneak over to my room. We'll just be careful so Jenna doesn't hear," He suggested, slipping his hand into Stephanie's.

Steph quirked an eyebrow, took another look at Damon and Elena – who now appeared to be sucking each other's faces off – and nodded.

"Sounds like a great idea," Steph said, "And that way I can keep an eye on you and Jenna in case Katherine shows up again." She eyed Damon and Elena again and cleared her throat.

They broke apart, but only Elena looked abashed.

"Let's go talk to John," Steph said, "And get it over with."

Damon rolled his eyes, "I'm going to go visit Barbie, then. Coming, Lassie?" Jeremy gave him the finger but followed Damon out of the hospital room, leaving Elena and Steph alone to find John.

Elena and Stephanie walked in companionable silence, finding the man who Elena had known so long as her disliked uncle, recovering in his room.

The two girls stood on the side of John's bed and watched as he woke up and reached immediately for his call button. Stephanie reached out and stilled his hand while Elena addressed the assumed assumption.

"I'm Elena," She reassured, "not Katherine."

"We know she did this to you," Stephanie told him calmly, her oak leaf green eyes searching her friend's birth father's.

"We need to know why," Elena said urgently.

"Where is she?" John rasped.

"You tell us," Stephanie said, leaning closer to the human man as he struggled to get up and run or fight, Steph wasn't sure. "You need to rest," She said quietly, "Stop fighting, tough guy. Just sit back and answer a few questions."

John stilled in his bed as Elena and Stephanie switched places. Elena set John's ring in the palm of his un-bandaged hand.

"Please," Elena said, "What does she want?"

"She'll try again," Stephanie added when John was still disinclined to speak, "We can't help if you don't confide in us."

"In you?" John asked scoffing. "In you, who's brainwashed my nephew into believing that you're a good person?"

Stephanie didn't give John the satisfaction of recoiling, but it was a near thing. "In your daughter, then."

"My daughter should drive a stake through both your heart and your brother's, right now," John said, his mouth set into a displeased line. He went on though, "I never spoke with Katherine directly. She didn't trust me. So either kill me or get out, because I can't stand the sight of my daughter loving a vampire with the affection of a sister, let alone romantically with another one."

Elena did recoil then, but her face didn't give away her hurt feelings. Instead, it was cold and aloof.

"You see the world with such hatred," She spat, "It's going to get you killed." Elena turned and fled the hospital room, leaving Stephanie standing next to John with a fiery anger burning in the pit of her belly. She almost walked out of the door after Elena, but slowly went to John's bedside as the human watched her with wary and distrustful eyes.

Stephanie leant in close and let her hands snake around John's neck. She held him down just so, and pressed on a major artery in the man's throat as he struggled.

"You may be okay with dying," She whispered in John's ear, letting her breath hiss against his face, "But I have a better idea." Steph lifted her wrist and delicately bit into and shoved her thin arm up to John's face, forcing the blood into his mouth. She shut his lips and massaged John's throat until he swallowed.

"You now have my blood," Steph murmured, "And all I have to do is kill you. Now take my advice; leave town. Elena doesn't want you here. You have twenty four hours before my blood leaves your system; that's enough time to disappear." Her voice strengthened until it was a growl, "But so help me God, if you hang around I will turn you into a vampire and watch you hate yourself every day for the rest of eternity." She released John and took a step back. "Your time starts . . . now." Stephanie walked away until she was standing in the doorway, but looked back.

"You're lucky it was me who came with Elena," Stephanie warned, "Damon would have killed you. Slowly."

Stephanie met up with Jeremy in the waiting room, as Damon and Elena had already disappeared.

"What took so long?" Jeremy asked, putting his arm around Steph's waist.

"Had a friendly chat," Stephanie said, "Ready to go?"

Jeremy cocked his head to the side and asked, "What did you do?"

"What do mean, what did I do?" Stephanie asked carefully, and Jeremy just quirked an eyebrow. "Fine," Steph breathed, "I asked him to leave town. He's an ass." His hurtful words still rang in the back of her mind.

"'Asked?'" Jeremy smirked.  "I bet you were a total badass and I missed it."

Stephanie shrugged daintily.  "Maybe I was little badass."

Jeremy crowed with laughter and a small smile slid onto Stephanie's face.

.

.

.

In the morning, Stephanie tried to straighten her wrinkled clothing in Jeremy's bathroom mirror, and fixed her hair, which was in disarray, into a ponytail. She slipped out of his bedroom window, leaving a simple note under Jere's pillow. Steph dropped onto the front lawn and peeking into the window to make sure Jenna was out of sight, flashed quickly away from the Gilbert house and to the hospital to check on Caroline.

The blond human was sitting up in her bed alone, watching what looked to be Jersey Shore. Stephanie couldn't help the smile that bloomed on her face at the sight.

"Steph!" Caroline greeted happily.

"Caroline," Stephanie said warmly, "How are you feeling?" Her human friend was obviously in high spirits – the vampire blood that Damon had provided at work.

"Fine, fine," Caroline said, "The doctors have all told me that I'm healing really fast." She leant in closer to Steph and whispered conspiratorially, "Damon's blood really helped. I hope I get out of here soon though – hospital food isn't all that good and my mom's been freaking out on me." Caroline rolled her eyes at the mention of her mother and Steph came around to sit at her side. The blond girl eyed Stephanie's wardrobe critically.

"You're wearing the same thing you wore yesterday," Caroline announced, making Steph straighten a little, her hands smoothing out her wrinkled shirt again. "You stayed the night with Jeremy!" Caroline's eyes widened into saucers. "Details!"

"Nothing happened," Stephanie hurried explained, "It's just . . ."

"Uh oh," Caroline frowned, "You're wearing your, ' _Something awful just happened and I'm not sure I should tell you about it,_ ' face. Spill."

Similarly cursing and thanking Caroline's gift of observation, Stephanie quirked the corner of her mouth, "I have certain faces?"

"Of course," Caroline waved a hand, "But you're trying to deflect. What happened?"

Stephanie sighed and resigned herself to telling Caroline about Katherine's return.

.

.

.

Damon woke that morning with Elena in his arms and a burning need to get to the Lockwood's house for the wake, as both Sheriff Forbes and the new Mayor Lockwood would be there. He wanted to try and find out more about the deceased Richard Lockwood's death – why had he been rounded up with the vampires and put into the burning Gilbert building if he wasn't undead?

Knowing Elena would sure want to go to the wake of Mayor Richard Lockwood; Damon quietly woke her up and urged her to get dressed.

"I'm going to go see where Stephanie, Jeremy, and Jenna are," Elena said, "But I'll meet you there."

Damon nodded and made his escape, arriving at the Lockwood Mansion. He easily stepped over the threshold, and silently thought that if there were any other vampires besides the Salvatore's and Katherine in town, surely they'd be invited in quickly – there were a number of Founder's functions all hosted at the stately home and Damon and Steph had been given an open invitation easily enough.

He spotted Liz and Carol amidst an argument and joined them quickly.

"Damon," Liz greeted, but Carol continued to rage at the Sheriff.

"I want to know who exactly is responsible for killing my husband," She commanded.

Liz tired replied, "I'm looking into it, but you have to be straight with me. Is there any reason that Richard was affected by the vampire device?"

"What are you implying?" Carol demanded, "That he was one of them?"

Damon intervened before something got started, "No, no, no, no one was implying-"

"Your deputies screwed up, plain and simple," Carol plowed on, heedless of Damon's interruption, "That makes you responsible."

"Carol, Liz," Damon tried again.

"Your husband is the one that approved and executed this idiot plan in the first place," Liz shot back.

"Liz-" Damon said.

"Someone got my husband killed," Carol said, her voice anguished but strong and her eyes became teary.

Damon put himself in between the quarreling women, "We're on edge here," He faced Carol, "You 've suffered a great loss," and then looked at both women, "the whole town has. But we have to stick together. Trust each other. We'll get through this." He clapped hands on their shoulders and nodded at them and them in turn at him. Carol excused herself when a man walked in with Tyler to greet her son and the mystery man.

"Who's that?" Damon inclined his head.

"That's Richard's younger brother, Mason Lockwood," Liz replied.

"Is he on the Council?" Damon narrowed his eyes, "Like when John Gilbert was when he rolled in?"

"He's nothing like John," Liz said, and Damon thought she sounded relieved at that, "Not an ass, anyway, and he's never been a believer, either. Mason's always been preoccupied with the next wave and pretty girls."

"Hem, thanks," Damon murmured, and when Liz left, said, "See ya." He wandered around and wondered where his baby sister was. "Probably with Lassie," Damon muttered. He perked up when he heard footsteps but his cheer bled out of him when he recognized the step and smell of the resident witch.

"Did you know that the Gilbert device affected Tyler?" She asked.

"Well, I know it took the Mayor down," Damon said, grabbing a handful of grapes and popped them in one by one. "Hello to you too, Judgy," He added.

"Aren't you at least a little bit curious as to why?" Bonnie pried.

"Yes, Bonnie, I would love to know why a non-vampire was tortured by the vampire torture device that you let John use," Damon said and finished eating his grapes. "Speaking of your guilt, how's Caroline?"

"She's much better," Bonnie said, still following Damon around the room.

"You're welcome," Damon sang.

"No, you're welcome," Bonnie argued.

"Why am I welcome?" Damon demanded incredulously.

"You're welcome to live to see another day," Bonnie replied.

"No bad deed goes unpunished by you, does it?" Damon asked rhetorically, "So I killed a few people when I arrived in town. I stopped."

"No amount of good deeds can undo the bad," Bonnie said, "You may have the Sheriff, the Council, and Elena and Jeremy fooled, but not me. I know what you and Stephanie are, Damon."

"Hem," Damon hummed.

"One more move and I'll take you both out," Bonnie said.

"Now, you need to stop with the 'I'll take you out,'" Damon warned, "You're starting to believe your own press. And you'll leave my sister alone – she isn't responsible for my deeds, I am, and I haven't done anything."

They both smiled at each other, and looked away. When they looked at each other again, Damon felt a hideous migraine overtake his head, something not unlike what the device had done to him last night.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Bonnie said and she lifted the spell, "You were saying?" She turned away and Damon glared at her as she walked away. She crossed the room to what appeared to be Elena and Damon ceased his glaring to narrow his eyes. He took out his phone and quickly texted Elena.

WHERE ARE YOU?

His phone beeped and Damon's face turned into a glower.

ON MY WAY OVER WITH JENNA AND JEREMY. HAVE YOU SEEN STEPH THIS MORNING?

The news that his sister hadn't been seen was mildly disconcerting, but Damon simply replied, NO. SHE'LL BE BY LATER, I'M SURE. KATHERINE'S HERE.

The response was immediate.

WHAT!

Damon rolled his eyes at the dramatics.

CALM DOWN. JUST BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU GET HERE. I'M TAKING CARE OF IT.

Damon slipped his phone back into his pocket and ignored it as the thing continued to buzz with further unread messages from Elena.

"Katherine," Damon greeted her, just as it appeared that she was about to try and kill Bonnie.

"Damon," Katherine smirked. Bonnie hurried away without speaking to either one of the vampires. "Would you like to step out into the yard with me? Take a walk?"

Damon smirked tightly and proffered his arm.

.

.

.

When Stephanie left the hospital and arrived at the former Mayor Lockwood's wake, she saw no sign of either Elena or her brother anywhere at first glance. She saw Jenna meandering around, talking with Carol Lockwood, but there wasn't a trace of Jeremy either. Suspicious now, Stephanie carefully searched the first floor, but finding nothing, went out back.

The scent of blood hit her nose as soon as Stephanie stepped out the door and she froze, searching for the source. The tangy scent was familiar, and the realization of whose blood it was made Steph's heart skip a beat. Then she walked a fast as she could without suspicion to where the scent was strongest, which was on top of a hill next to a large oak tree. There, blood was pooled on the grass, and there was a trail that went left.

However, just as Stephanie was turning to go in that direction, another scent crossed her sensitive nose. Steph stilled and looked up.

Katherine sat in the tree above her, smirking.

"Congratulations, Steph, I knew that you'd find me," Katherine laughed and leapt down from her perch. Stephanie glared at her.

"What did you to Damon?" Stephanie asked harshly.

"He made me mad, so I stabbed him with a metal rod," Katherine admitted, smiling, "But he's okay by now, I'm sure. His little girlfriend Elena's been helping him." Her eyes twinkled, "Too bad he didn't let me kiss it better."

Stephanie growled and went to hit the taller vampire, but Katherine caught her hand in hers, and then held Steph by the neck up to the tree. Her back rubbed harshly on the rough bark, scraping and bruising it, no bout.

"Eh, eh, Steph," Katherine said, a pout prominent on her face. "That wasn't very nice."

"What do you want, Katherine?" Stephanie choked. The hand at her neck made her think of Fredrick, but the comparison was only brief. Katherine's hand was slender and her nails manicured, though they dug into Steph's neck, drawing a little blood.

"Can't I just visit my love and then my sister?" Katherine asked, cocking her head to the side.

"No," Stephanie growled, "And don't call me that, bitch."

Katherine's face darkened and she plunged her hand straight into Steph's chest, her fingers almost brushing her heart. Stephanie choked.

"Don't talk to me like that," Katherine whispered, and dragged her hand back out, and let Steph drop to the base of the oak tree. Steph gasped and let a hand touch her rapidly healing neck, and the other flittered around her wounded chest.

"What do you want?" Stephanie rasped again.

"You want to know why I'm here, Steph? I came back for you two," Katherine said, "I missed you and Damon."

"The problem is," Stephanie gasped, her breath returning to her as her chest almost healed all the way, "Is that I hate you and Damon's moved on."

"We'll see," Katherine said sweetly and flashed away.

"Stephanie!" Someone yelled and Steph looked up to see Elena racing towards her. Damon was behind her, buttoning up his shirt.

"Bitch got you too, huh?" Damon asked sympathetically. He plopped down onto the ground next to Stephanie. She sent him a wry glance and nodded as Elena leant down, her hands fluttering. Stephanie gently pushed them away, and said, "I'm fine."

Elena looked doubtful, but nodded. She eased down and sat in Damon's lap, and Damon grabbed Steph and gave her a noogie.

"Eck!" Stephanie shoved him off and scooted away. "Where's Jeremy?"

"Lassie's . . . around, somewhere," Damon said, vaguely waving his hand around.

"I'm going to go look for him," Stephanie said and hefted herself up, using the tree trunk.

"Be careful, sister dear," Damon said playfully, but his eyes were serious. Steph nodded, but tried to fix her shirt and headed off towards the Lockwood home. She ended up texting Jeremy for his location.

CHASED OFF BY TYLER'S UNCLE. MEET ME AT MY HOUSE?

Curiously wondering since when Tyler had had an uncle, Stephanie responded back in the affirmative. She ran to Jeremy's house, and climbed through his window, wincing from the lingering pain in her chest. Steph walked over and curled herself up onto Jeremy's bed and closed her eyes.

She stiffened when she heard someone downstairs and it turned out to be John. She listened as Jeremy came in shortly after him, and they talked quietly.

Jeremy's heavy and familiar footsteps went up the stairs and he opened his door slowly, letting light from the hallway spill inside.

"Stephanie," He breathed.

Steph sat up as Jeremy sat next to her. He frowned at her shirt.

"What happened?" He demanded. Jeremy's eyes searched Stephanie's green ones. His gaze swept his girlfriend, head to toe, taking in the ripped shirt. "Did someone hurt you?"

"Katherine just tried to break my heart," Stephanie tried to tease, but Jeremy's brows furrowed.

"You're being literal," He stated flatly.

"Um . . . yes," Stephanie admitted, "Yes, I am."

Jeremy wanted to rage, but instead shoved the anger down inside of him and lay down next to his love. He spooned her, and Steph relaxed under his touch. She peered at his hands and picked up one of them, eyes narrowed at the ring on his finger.

"John give this to you?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah," Jeremy said, "I don't have to wear it."

"You should," Stephanie said firmly, "It'll protect you if you continue to date me. Especially with Katherine around. She hasn't mentioned you yet, but there's no hoping that you'll stay invisible to her."

Jeremy nodded into her hair and Stephanie leant back and closed her eyes for the night.

.

.

.

Caroline was woken up suddenly, and she rapidly blinked her eyes against the sudden light in her room. She squinted.

"Elena?"

But that didn't look right. Elena never curled her hair, except for once, and Caroline hated to say it, but Elena just didn't dress this well.

"We haven't met," Not-Elena said.

"Katherine," Caroline breathed, "You must be Katherine."

Not-Elena-So-Must-Be-Katherine quirked an eyebrow, "So you do know of me?"

Caroline nodded her head quickly, frightened, "Steph told me about you."

"Truly?" Katherine asked, "Could you give her and Damon a message for me?"

"What?" Caroline asked as her heart raced.

"Game on," Katherine told her, and before Caroline could so much as blink, Katherine was shoving a pillow in her face, holding her back against the bed while she screamed. Oxygen ran out. Lightheadedness entered Caroline. Screams stopped.

And everything went dark.

.

.

.

Caroline woke up in the middle of the night, lurching forwards in her hospital bed and gasping for air she'd been denied. She blinked her eyes rapidly and felt so many things hit her at once; the sights and smells and feelings, and oh God, the smells. Something sweet wafted into her room and drifted by her nose and Caroline inhaled it slowly, her eyes slipping closed in pure . . . bliss.  What the hell is that?

The blonde opened her eyes again and her memory from hours ago flashed through her mind, fresh and new.  Katherine.

"Oh God," Caroline gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth. "She killed me. I'm dead. I'm a vampire? Oh, God." She slipped up and out of her bed, and Caroline felt the scratchy material of her hospital gown irritate her skin as it rubbed against her. "What do I do?"

She couldn't help herself as she drifted out of her room, and minding the nurse at her station, slipped passed her and followed the sweet scent that had enraptured her attention. An idea of what that scent was tickled her mind, but Caroline firmly dislodged it, shoving it into the back of her mind in denial.

Caroline found herself in a room filled with blood bags. O, A, AB, B . . . they were all there and even each negative or positive of the different types of blood incurred dissimilar scents.

"What are you doing in here?"

The nurse's voice surprised Caroline in that she hadn't heard her approach – she had this crazy hearing ability and hadn't heard that loud thump-thump noise until just now? But now that she heard it, Caroline found herself enthralled with the sound of it – thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump.

"I don't know," Caroline murmured, but felt one of her hands grasp a blood bag that had the most exquisite scents pouring out behind her back.

"Let's get you back to your room," The nurse directed her to her room and shut the door behind her. Caroline drifted back to her bed and slowly lifted the blood bag to her face.

"Oh," She moaned, "I shouldn't have done that." The blood smelled tantalizing to her, almost drowning out the sound of the nurse's heartbeat from her station just beyond Caroline's door. "No, Caroline, don't drink," She commanded herself. Caroline felt her hands seemingly bring the blood bag up to her face of their own accord.

"I don't want to die," Caroline murmured aloud, "I don't want to die." She put the bag to her face and tore into it, feeling the blood wash down her throat. Caroline's eyes widened at the taste and started in earnest to get every . . . last . . . drop."

Her gums started to hurt, and Caroline moaned, either from pleasure or pain, the blond was no longer sure. Her jaw began to ache, and her eyes fluttered and soon the blood bag was empty.

"Oh, I'm in trouble," She acknowledged, moaning to herself.

.

.

.

Stephanie and Jeremy met Elena and Damon at the school, as what seemed like the entire student body prepared for the carnival that evening. Damon came along grudgingly, mainly to just fulfill his burning curiosity of the mystery that was the Lockwood's. Elena was heading everything up on Caroline's account, as she probably wouldn't be out until at least the next morning. Stephanie and Jeremy were there as lackeys and moral support.

"Jeremy, don't forget-"

"I have to set up the gold fish toss and it will be epic, yeah, yeah," Jeremy waved her off, and Elena then looked Stephanie.

"I'm helping him and then we are to report to General Elena and get our next assignments," Steph said deadpan. Elena had mocked glared, but then saw Bonnie, and immediately and gone in that direction, leaving her brother and the vampires alone.

"Well," Damon said, "I'll be taking my leave now. Don't get into too much trouble." He wiggled his eyebrows at the couple in front of him.

Unimpressed, Stephanie told him, "Don't do anything stupid with the Lockwood's, Damon."

"Who, me?"

"Damon," Steph said flatly.

Her brother leant in close, suddenly serious, and said, "I was at Carol Lockwood's home this morning and in addition to spear heading the Council now, my theory that there's something up with the family confirmed by listening in to Mason and Tyler's conversation. There's something fishy going on with them, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it," Damon saluted her and disappeared in the growing crowd of students setting up shop. Steph sighed, but turned to Jeremy and he smiled down at his girlfriend.

"I have something for you," Steph said, pulling Jeremy into the shadow of a brightly colored tent.

"Yeah?" Jeremy asked curiously, but then pulled back, "This isn't some kind of anniversary, is it? I don't get why girls like to celebrate being together for three months, or six, or whatever. Year anniversaries, yeah, but –"

"No," Stephanie said, quirking an eyebrow, "It isn't some weird anniversary gift. Here." She held out her hand, and sitting in the palm on top of a tissue so as to not touch her skin, was a thick, leathery bracelet that was intricately designed. "It's been laced with Vervain – for your safety. Do you like it?"

Jeremy picked up and put it on his left wrist and beamed at her girlfriend, "It's great, Steph. Thanks. I wish I'd gotten you something."

"It was spur of the moment," Steph flushed, "I was worried about Katherine getting you and I realize it won't help much, but she won't be able to compel you now."

"It's great," Jeremy repeated, and kissed Stephanie slowly.

.

.

.

After Matt had visited and left, surely thinking that Caroline was just being especially neurotic that morning because of the news that she wouldn't be able to go to the carnival, Caroline immediately got up and got dressed.

"I am not staying here until morning and then getting fried by the sun," She muttered, thinking of her mishap just a few minutes ago with Matt.

Matt.

Matt and his big, clear blue eyes and his blond hair and his football earned physique. Matt's kind, lovely heart, and his sweet face, and his chivalry. Matt's loudly beating heart as it pumped blood through his veins. Matt, who Caroline had been so tempted to drain of his thick, life giving blood . . .

"Snap out of it, Caroline," The blond teenager commanded herself. She rifled through her things and narrowly missed touching the vervain necklace Elena had given her a while ago.

Caroline heard the breathing of the nurse, who was compelled to sit on the bed silently. The teen looked outside and saw that the sun had finally fell down beneath the horizon, and turned to the nurse.

"The doctor let me go early, and you saw him sign the release papers himself," Caroline compelled, "You don't remember that I attacked you. If anyone asks about the bandage on your neck, you're to say that your husband just likes to get kinky."

The nurse nodded in her trance, and Caroline quickly grabbed her bag and disappeared out of the hospital.

"Now, I just have to find Steph and . . . see if she can help me," Caroline murmured. She left the hospital quickly and headed over to the school carnival.

.

.

.

Stephanie left Jere to man to the goldfish toss and went in search of her brother. She briefly checked her phone to make sure she hadn't missed any calls; Steph hadn't heard from Elena hardly all day, and Caroline not at all. She frowned when she saw none, but approached her brother as he watched Tyler Lockwood arm-wrestling people at that booth.

"You're lurking," Stephanie said quietly.

"I'm observing," Damon smirked.

"More like obsessing," Stephanie corrected teasingly. They watched as Tyler won a match, and another teen got in line to go next.

"He's got strength," Damon nearly sang.

"He's a triple league athlete, of course he's got strength," Steph said exasperatedly, and then added, "You're reaching." The two Salvatore's watched as Mason challenged his nephew.

"Enter the uncle," Damon drawled as Mason took a seat and gripped Tyler's hand.

"This is ridiculous," Steph said, inclining her head towards Damon. Both Salvatore siblings crossed their arms and watched as Mason got the upper hand over his nephew, and saw that Mason was unsurprised while Tyler was gaping like a fish at his own defeat.

"Alright, he's a champ," Tyler announced to the growing audience, "Who wants to go next?"

Next to Steph, Damon raised his head and pitched his voice to carry, "Steph wants to go." Stephanie shot Damon a vicious glare as the crowd crowed with laughter.

"Sure, why not?" Steph ground out through clenched teeth. She made her way over and set her arm down and faced Mason.

"Get 'im, Steph!" Damon called.

"Your brother's pretty confident in you," Mason told Stephanie, "But you're just a little thing."

"You know what they say," Stephanie said as she and Mason interlocked hands, "Big things come in small packages." The bell dinged and Stephanie put all of her force behind her arm, but was surprised at Mason's strength pitted against hers. The man seemed very smug as Steph's and his hands stayed in the middle at first, but then he smashed hers into the wooden stand.

"Nice try," Mason said with an easy smile, which Stephanie forced herself to return.

"You too," Stephanie said and walked back to Damon's vantage point. Her brother glowered at her.

"You didn't put in any effort at all," Damon accused petulantly.

Stephanie shook her head and said seriously, "Yes. I did." Surprise took over Damon's features as he inclined his head to the left.

"Come with me," He said and Stephanie followed Damon as he led her a little ways away. "Is he a vampire?"

"No, it wasn't that kind of strength," Stephanie said quickly, "It was more . . . human, if that makes sense."

"What is up with that family?" Damon asked as he waved his hands and his face scrunched up with irritation. "If they're not vampires, then what the hell are they?"

"Ooh, uh, maybe they're Ninja Turtles," Stephanie suggested.

"You're not funny," Damon said incredulously.

"Or, no, zombies. Werewolves," Stephanie smirked as her arms crossed over her chest.

"No comedic timing, at all," Damon pointed at her. He turned his head and looked over his shoulder and spotted a man were on speakers.

"What? What is it?" Stephanie asked as her mirth left her.

"Well, since this is reality and there are no such things as werewolves or combat turtles . . ." He turned and walked towards the man and Stephanie felt worry rise in her as she followed him.

"Hey!" Damon called.

The man was nonplussed, "I have a name."

"Yeah, I don't care," Damon said and clapped his hands on his shoulders.

"Damon," Steph warned, "What are you doing?"

"I need you to pick a fight with someone; a kid named Tyler Lockwood," Damon compelled.

"Damon, don't do this," Stephanie said, but Damon just waved her off. "Elena's going to be pissed," Steph added.

"It's just an experiment, hold on," Damon murmured to Stephanie and then turned back to the man, "Get him mad. But don't back down no matter what he does, okay?"

"I won't back down," The man murmured.

"I know you won't," Damon patted him on the shoulder, and he walked off in search of Tyler.

"You do realize he's going to get hurt, right?" Stephanie grabbed Damon's bicep.

"No, someone's going to get mad, as in rage," Damon pointed out, brushing off Steph's grip.

"And what is that going to accomplish, Damon?" Steph demanded.

"That Tyler kid is incapable of walking away from a fight," Damon explained, "Let's see who intervenes; maybe it's the ambiguously supernatural mystery uncle."

Stephanie scoffed, and thought about the boy who'd helped her when she was in a pit of despair; Tyler Lockwood had helped her in one of the worst times in her life.

"Damon, it's not right," Stephanie said, pleading now, "Tyler helped me, remember? Let's not repay him like this."

Damon's voice softened a little, but his resolve was firm, "He's not going to get hurt, Steph. Uncle Mason is going to sweep in and save the day. You'll see." He sidestepped Stephanie and walked away, disappearing.

Stephanie's phone buzzed and she picked up it and held it to her ear, "Hello?"

"Stephanie," It was Caroline's voice.

"I haven't heard from you all day," Steph said, relieved to hear from her friend, "Are you okay?"

"No," She sounded tearful, "I'm here at the carnival. I tried to call you earlier, but I just couldn't."

"What's happened?" Stephanie asked urgently, gripping her phone tighter.

"Could you come meet me?" Caroline told her where to find her, and Stephanie agreed immediately.

"Stay put, okay?" Stephanie said, "I'm coming right now." Wondering what had happened to cause her friend such upset, Stephanie headed towards the direction Caroline had indicated she was, but Steph became sidetracked at the sight of Tyler and the man Damon had compelled. "Damn it." She texted Damon the directions to Caroline to go help her, and Steph went to take a closer look at the fight.

The man did not back down, as compelled not to, and continued to go at Tyler. The fight started to get ugly, but then Mason came over and tried to break it up. Stephanie itched to go and help, but knew that it was be severely suspicious for a petite teenager to manage to break up three grown men. Finally, Mason wrangled Tyler away, and Steph rushed to the human man's side.

"Hey, are you alright?" Stephanie asked as she helped him up.

"Why did I do that?" The man's gaze searched Steph's.

"You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Stephanie reassured him. She walked him back towards the carnival and he disappeared in the outskirts of the carnival. Stephanie then headed over to where Caroline had asked her to meet her, but saw no sign of her friend. Frowning, Stephanie searched high and low for her friend, as Caroline declined to answer her cell phone.

Steph caught the scent of blood and was drawn to it, if only to make sure everything was alright. She ended up towards the outskirts of the carnival where that man had disappeared, close to the restrooms. There, she saw the body of the man, his neck ravaged, and Caroline bawling in Damon's arms as he was about to stake her. Elena was running in their direction, watching frantically.

What the hell?

"Damon!" Stephanie shouted, flashing to the other vampires' sides, "What the hell are you doing?"

"She's a vampire," Damon said, "And we all know how the last female teenage vampire turning went – I staked her."

"She's my friend," Stephanie said, pulling Caroline out of Damon's grasp as Elena reached them.

"What's going on?" She demanded. "Damon?"

"Katherine turned Barbie into a vampire," Damon said.

"Caroline?" Elena asked hesitantly.

"It's true," Caroline sniffled and Stephanie took in the sight of her face; blood smeared with gore around her mouth and the lower half of her face. Caroline's fangs were still out and the veins that ran down a vampire's eyes and cheeks were plain as day. Steph knew what happened then, and why Damon wanted to kill Caroline.

"I won't let you," Stephanie told Damon, firmly putting herself between Caroline and Damon, "I'll teach her how not to kill."

"Steph, listen," Damon started.

"No, Damon," Elena stood in front of her boyfriend, ignoring the bloody body of the man behind them. She and Damon conversed quietly for a few minutes, and Steph tried to calm Caroline down as she was hysterical.

"Here, come with me," Stephanie said, gently reaching out to catch the sleeve of Caroline's jacket, "Let's get cleaned up."

She started to lead the taller girl away when a voice interrupted them.

"Caroline?" The two vampire girls saw Bonnie approach, looking horrified.

"Come on, it's going to be okay," Stephanie murmured to Caroline, "Let's go."

"You can't be," Bonnie choked, and Caroline stood still. She ran forwards and grabbed Caroline's wrist, confirming for herself that the girl was now a vampire.

"Bonnie . . ." Caroline whimpered.

"No," Bonnie said and backed up. Stephanie could tell the exact moment that the witch caught sight of the dead body, "Oh, God."

Stephanie quickly led Caroline to the women's room to avoid the Bennett witch's ire and shut the door behind her. Caroline stared at herself in the mirror as Steph quickly grabbed several paper towels.

"It's alright, come here," Stephanie murmured quietly and wet the paper towels and started help clean off Caroline's face.

"She hates me," Caroline moaned, rocking forwards as she held the sinks.

"No, no, no," Steph refuted, "She's just in shock." Caroline's breathing was erratic at best, hyperventilation at worst.

"What about the man? What about that man I killed?" Caroline cried, sobs wracking her body. Stephanie pulled back Caroline's long blond hair and continued to clean Caroline's face.

"No, don't worry about that right now. Here, wipe off your hands," She handed the other girl more paper towels, while Stephanie retrieved some and wet them. Caroline quickly scrubbed her bloody hands as savagely as possible.

"I'm a murderer," Caroline said.

Stephanie held back her hair and gently rubbed off the blood.

"I'm a monster," Caroline moaned.

"Your emotions are heightened right now," Stephanie said to her calmly, but inside she was fiercely upset to see her friend so devastated, "It's part of the transformation, it's completely normal." She tossed some more paper towels in the trash and got another wet one and continued.

Caroline nearly screamed in frustration as the veins appeared around her eyes, "Why does this keep happening to my face?" She spun around and covered her face.

Stephanie gently but firmly removed her hands, "Care, look at me, look at me," She said quickly, "Caroline, Caroline, look at me, look at me, look at my face." Caroline's frantic scrabbling around slowed as she saw Stephanie's veins appear. "Look, look, see? See that?" She let them disappear. "When you feel the blood rushing and it starts to get out of control, you tell yourself that you're going to get through it." Caroline rapidly shook her head and Steph continued, "Yes, yes, no matter how good it feels to give yourself over to it, you fight it off. Look at me, watch me, shh."

Stephanie let her veins and fangs appear again, and slowly made them disappear as she breathed slowly, in and out. "Shh. It's going to be okay." Steph watched as Caroline slowly made her own disappear.

"Why did Katherine do this to me?" Caroline whispered.

"I don't know, Care," Stephanie replied just as quietly, "I wish I did. Hey, hey. I promise you I will not let anything happen to you." She enfolded the taller girl into her arms for a comforting hug, and Caroline let put her face into Stephanie's shoulder and cried. Outside the bathroom, Stephanie heard some kind of commotion, but let it alone. Caroline needed her for a few minutes more.

Caroline released her hold on Stephanie a little later and grabbed a paper towel and wiped the tears off of her face. "Let's go, Steph, please."

Stephanie nodded, "Of course."

Steph and Care left the bathroom to find the man's body gone, along with Bonnie, and Damon looking worse for wear as he and Elena clung to each other.

Elena caught sight of Caroline and came over to hug her, and Steph took a step back to see Damon.

"What happened?" Stephanie murmured quietly to him.

"Judgy was upset and set me on fire, but it's all good now. Would you take Caroline and Jeremy to their homes? Elena and I have a belated date with a Ferris Wheel," Damon said.

Steph narrowed her eyes, "We'll talk about the fire thing later, right?"

"Of course," Damon waved her off and collected Elena and they disappeared. Jeremy came running a moment later to Stephanie and Caroline.

"Damon texted me," He explained. Steph nodded and led her boyfriend and friend to their respective homes.

"You'll be okay?" Stephanie asked Caroline again before the blond walked into her house.

"I'll be fine," Caroline sniffed, "Go on and spend with the night with your boyfriend." She smiled a little mischievously, and Steph nodded and let Jeremy tug her away.

.

.

.

Stephanie ended up staying at the Boarding House that evening instead of the Gilbert house, and sat up in the living room reading. Damon came in late, long after midnight and plopped himself down next to Stephanie on the couch.

"As you're not writing anything in you diary," Damon said finally.  "What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep," Steph murmured and turned the page.

"What're you reading?" Damon tilted his head towards Stephanie's book and rolled his eyes at the cover. "The Silmarillion? Really, Steph?"

"Shut up, Damon," Stephanie said quietly, eyes not leaving the page.  Damon just rolled his eyes and laid back on the couch.

.

.

.

tbc


	8. but you best believe, boy there's hell to pay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was a terrible snarling noise. Lupin's head was lengthening. So was his body. His shoulders were hunching. Hair was sprouting visibly on his face and hands, which were curling into clawed paws."
> 
> —Description of Remus Lupin transforming in HP: PoA

Stephanie sat in the living room next to Jeremy on one of the old couches, Elena across from them on another while Damon wandered on the landing, pacing. Steph's hands were restless in her lap and Jeremy reached out and took one of them in his larger palms to still it. She shot him a grateful smile and a moment later, the doorbell rang. Damon detoured from his pacing and opened it up, revealing Alaric.

"Thanks for coming," Damon smirked and ushered in the History teacher, "Would you like some coffee? Or a glass of bourbon? Coffee and bourbon?"

Alaric rolled his eyes and he walked behind Damon's form as the vampire led the human into the living room where the other three occupants were waiting.

"I came here because Elena and Jeremy asked me to, Damon," Alaric said, clearly irritated. He sat down on the red couch with the little gold tassels on it, next to Elena, who scooted over a little give the man some more room to himself.

Stephanie sat forward in her seat, elbows on her knees and said, "Right. We were all hoping that you might be able to shed some light on the Lockwood family." Alaric shot them all incredulous stares.

"Why would I know anything about the Lockwood's?" He asked flatly.

"Well, _you_ wouldn't," Damon said, walking over to him, hands loosely held behind his back. He leant forward with a quirked eyebrow, "But your undead vampire wife, Isobel, might." He backed up and took a seat next to Stephanie, who was now sandwiched between her older brother and her boyfriend, both whose frames next to Steph swamped her in size.

"Isobel's research," Elena elaborated next to Alaric. Her expression was earnest. "From when you two worked together."

"You said that she had spent years researching this town," Steph helped prompt him.

"Isobel's research here," Alaric started explain half-heartedly, "in Mystic Falls was rooted in Folk Lore. At the time, I thought most of it was just . . . fiction; sci-Fi stuff."

Damon rolled his eyes and grinned, "Like that _amazing_ vampire story, right Rick?" Stephanie resisted the urge to hit him.

"Aside from vampires," Elena interrupted and tried to get everyone back on track, "What else did she inquire about? Do you remember?" Elena had turned her body to face her teacher, one of her legs folded up underneath the other.

"The lycanthrope," Alaric admitted wearily. Stephanie and Damon exchanged looks with each other while Jeremy cocked his head to the side.

"Werewolves," Jeremy clarified and Alaric nodded his head.

"No way, impossible," Damon dismissed quickly, leaning forward in his seat, "way too unfeasible."

"Is it?" Stephanie murmured aloud. She looked up at Damon and raised her eyebrows at her older brother, awaiting his sure to be scathing response.

He did not disappoint her, "I've been around one hundred and sixty some odd years, Steph; I think I'd have noticed some ankle biters running around under the full moon. If werewolves exist," Damon laid his empty hands in front of him and raised his eyebrows and asked, "then where the hell are they?"

"Well, why do you suspect the Lockwood's?" Alaric asked.

"Because the Vervain didn't affect them, but the Gilbert device did," Damon shared, "Both of Tyler and the Mayor, on Founder's Day."

"And at the school carnival," Stephanie said pensively, "Uncle Mason exhibited inhuman behavior while he fought one of the carnival workers. So, that suggested some kind of supernatural entity."

"We were hoping that Isobel's research would help tell us what it is," Elena explained to Alaric.

The teacher sighed. "Well, all of her things are still at Duke," He said, "I mean her office is still there; she's technically still missing."

"So, can we get access to it?" Damon appealed to Alaric. The man tilted his head and looked down at the couch in thought. He contemplated for a while, so long that Damon interrupted his thoughts, "Rick, we don't know what we're dealing with here. If this Wolf-Man thing is true, I've seen enough movies to know it's not good."

Seeing Alaric's still unconvinced face, Damon said flatly, "It means Mason Lockwood is a real life Lon Chaney, which means that Tyler may very well be Lon Chaney Junior; which means, Bela Lugosi, meaning me, is totally screwed." Damon scowled.

Alaric sighed, but finally relented.

.

.

.

It was decided that Alaric would take Damon, Elena, and Jeremy to Duke University, while Stephanie was going to stay with Caroline to help the girl along as a new vampire. Jeremy offered to stay with them a few times, as he wasn't really needed on the trip, but Steph urged him to go.

"Caroline needs some time," Stephanie had told him quietly, "I'm going to spend the day with her; get her acclimated to everything. Hopefully Bonnie will make her a ring."

Jeremy snorted. "I doubt that," He said derisively.

Steph only hummed and watched as the trio left with Alaric in the teacher's large car. She then slipped out her phone and texted Bonnie quickly, imploring the witch to meet her at the Mystic Grill. Steph put the phone back into her jeans pocket and was glad that she'd not worn uncomfortable shoes as she started to run with lightening quick vampire speed to the Grill.

It was moderately busy, but not overly so as the lunch crowd hadn't arrived just yet; there was at least another hour and a half before they'd come by storm. A couple of teenagers played over at the pool table and the few town drunks were at the bar, already wasted.

Stephanie's meticulous eyes swept the Mystic Grill, one of the only "restaurants" in the entire area. Her green eyes landed on the witch sitting alone at a table, clearly impatient and slightly irritated. The vampire walked over to her and sat down on the opposite side of the table from Bonnie.

"Stephanie."

"Bonnie."

Steph explained the predicament, but she was barely halfway through explaining as Bonnie shook her head.

"I don't know how to make a daylight ring," Bonnie said, her eyes staring directly in Steph's.

"Emily made Damon's, and mine too," Stephanie explained earnestly, "The instructions must be in her grimoire."

"It doesn't mean I can cast the spell," Bonnie said flatly, but Steph highly doubted that was the truth.

"Bonnie," Stephanie said, her eyes piercing the witch's as she leant forward on their table, "you know how to drop vampires with a single look; I'm sure you could figure it out."

"Caroline killed someone, Stephanie," Bonnie said coolly as she explained her real reason for denying their friend, "I can't make it easier for her to do it again."

"We're not making it _easier_ for her," Steph said, frustrated but understanding where Bonnie was coming from, "We're just giving her a chance to survive. Listen, every day she's cut off from her old life, from you and Elena and Matt, it'll make it that much harder for her to hold onto her humanity."

"And how do you know that she won't hurt anyone else?" Bonnie asked as her eyes narrowed.

"I don't," Stephanie explained, "But if we don't do everything we can to help her, or at least trust the fact that she can keep it together, we might as well stake her now."

"I don't know if I can trust her," Bonnie admitted, concern cracking through her tough façade, "Not with this."

"Then trust me, Bonnie," Stephanie begged, her oak green eyes wide, "We were friends a while ago, Bonnie. You know you can trust me with this." Bonnie was silent for a few minutes.

"Alright," She finally agreed.

"Great," Steph grinned.

.

.

.

"So, I don't get to choose the ring I have to wear for the rest of my life?" Caroline asked scathingly, eying the gaudy thing lying in front of her on her bed. Stephanie sat in a chair by the window and her eyes swept to her blond friend.

"Hey, if you don't want it . . ." Bonnie trailed off as she stood in front of the newly turned vampire's bed, grimoire clutched her hands as she turned to the correct page.

"Oh, no, she wants it," Stephanie said quickly. She eyed Caroline.

Caroline sighed, but acquiesced, "Now what?"

Bonnie looked sternly at her, "Now's the part where I explain the rules. The witch that spells the ring has the power to de-spell it. If you were ever to hurt anyone-"

"I'm not going to hurt anyone," Caroline denied firmly.

"You're a vampire," Bonnie said, her tone implying that it was Caroline's innate natural to kill everything and everyone now, "That means that the urge to kill is a part of who you are now. The minute you let it take over, I will stop you."

"Bonnie, you're supposed to be my friend," Caroline said softly with an accusing lilt to her voice.

"I can't just ignore what happened," Bonnie said, her eyebrows furrowing, "Okay? You wanna be friends? You have to prove to me that the Caroline I knew isn't gone."

Caroline crossed her arms, and pushed the ring towards Bonnie, and then asked, "Do you really think that I meant to kill that guy at the carnival?"

"He's still dead," Bonnie fired back quickly, "Now do you want me to cast the spell or not?" She opened the curtains a little, letting light spill onto the portion of the bed that held the ring. Caroline slipped back farther towards her headboard, eager to stay away from the killing light. Steph pulled back a little reflexively, even though she knew that the light wouldn't hurt her.

The two vampires watched Bonnie as she held the book in front of her and stared at the ring, seemingly mouthing the enchantments to herself. A few moments passed, and then she closed the book and put the ring in Caroline's palm.

"All done," Bonnie announced briskly.

"That's it?" Caroline asked incredulously, "No flashing lights and mysterious winds? I mean, nothing witchy happened. Have you even done this before?" Her eyes looked up at Bonnie with suspicion.

"Caaaaroline," Steph drew out the other vampire's name and quirked an eyebrow at the girl.

"What?" Caroline raised her hands, "I just want to make sure it worked!" Bonnie stalked over to the window and drew the curtains the rest of the way open, engulfing Caroline in sunlight. The girl shrieked in surprised and fear.

"It worked," Bonnie announced.

"Bonnie!" Caroline shrieked, "What if it _hadn't_?"

The witch just rolled her eyes at Caroline neuroticism, and as she passed Stephanie by, whispered, "She's all yours." Steph raised her eyebrows and attempted a smile.

Caroline sighed again, and raised her hand in the sunlight, examining herself as Bonnie left. She sent Steph a cheerful look, which Stephanie directed back at her.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Caroline asked jauntily.

.

.

.

"This is _so_ not what I had in mind for a good time," Caroline said mournfully as she raised her foot and examined the dirt and mud on her shoe. She scrunched up her nose as the stench, and gasped, "That better _just_ be mud, Stephanie Salvatore!"

Stephanie rolled her eyes.

"Just look for a rabbit to hunt, alright, Care?"

"What do I do when I see one?" Caroline asked her, setting her foot back onto the ground. Her eyes swept the forest floor as she and Stephanie kept walking.

"Chase it, catch it, feed on it," Stephanie told her.

"Isn't killing poor defenseless animals the first step in becoming a serial killer?" Caroline asked curiously. Stephanie looked over to the taller girl and saw that she was deadly serious.

"You kind of skipped over serial killer and became a vampire," Steph said dryly, "If you're not serious about all this, Caroline, I think you should tell me."

Caroline stopped and groaned, "No, I am. Look, I swear that I am," She repeated when she saw Stephanie disbelieving look, "I just that I haven't been in the sun, _for days_ and everyone's at the swimming hole having fun, and Matt is there and he _finally_ told me that he loved me, and you want me to eat bunnies, and I'm kind of freaking out, okay?" She shot Steph a glare as the smaller girl stifled a snicker. "And now you're laughing at me."

"No, no, I'm not," Stephanie denied, "None of this is funny, trust me." Caroline put her hands on her hips and glared at Stephanie. "It's just, uh," Steph trailed off.

"What?" Caroline snapped.

"It's just that, when someone becomes a vampire, their emotions become . . . heightened. Their natural behaviors become amplified," Stephanie explained, waving a hand in Caroline's direction vaguely.

"What do you mean?" Caroline asked, her ire lessening.

"Well, as a human," Stephanie started carefully, "I cared deeply for others, how they felt, I felt their pain, and I felt guilty about it even if I didn't cause it. I was very empathetic. And as a vampire, all of that . . . got magnified."

"So," Caroline started hesitantly, "You're saying that . . . now I'm basically an insecure, neurotic control freak . . . on crack."

"Well," Steph said teasingly, "I wasn't going to say _like that_." Seeing Caroline worried look, she said, "Look, let's hunt, okay, Care? And then, after that, we can go to the swimming hole."

"Really?" Caroline perked up immensely.

"Yeah," Stephanie grinned, "Matt will be there and he's your strongest link to humanity right now, and I think that being around him is a good thing."

"Okay," Caroline said and the two girls set off in the forest again. A few minutes later Stephanie heard Caroline start to hum under her breath a cheery tune.

" _Bunnies aren't just cute like everybody supposes, They got them hoppy legs and twitchy little noses"_

Stephanie gave Caroline a side long glance which the other girl either ignored or missed.

" _And what's with all the carrots? What do they need such good eyesight for anyway?"_

The blond cheerily finished her song, completely unperturbed by Stephanie's half exasperated looks sent her way.

_"Bunnies, Bunnies, it must be bunnies!"_

_"Or maybe midgets. . .?"_

.

.

. 

After a semi successful hunting trip, Stephanie and Caroline made their way over to the Lockwood property where the swimming hole was. In the back of a blue truck, Steph could see, was a large tankard of what was doubtlessly beer. Next to it was a stack of plastic red cups, and a lengthy line to get some of the beverage.

Stephanie watched Mason carefully as the man stopped and spoke with his nephew for a few moments before driving off again. Caroline turned to Steph and asked curiously, "Why are you looking at with your 'Serious Vampire Look?'"

"My what?" Stephanie asked, turning to her friend, "'My serious vampire look?'"

"Uh huh," Caroline trifled with some things in the trunk of her car, where the two girls were standing, "It's different from your 'Worried Vampire Look,' and your, 'Hey, It's Tuesday Look.' And of course, there's the, 'Something awful just happened and I'm not sure I should tell you about it,' face."

Stephanie felt her eyebrows rise. "So I have four default facial expressions," She said flatly.

"Well, I wasn't going to put it like that," Caroline teased, "Of course, you're different around Jeremy. You look like a love struck fool, then."

"You're hilarious," Stephanie deadpanned and they walked towards the gathering. Steph enjoyed the sunlight and cheerful sounds of birds and teenagers' laughter.

"There's Matt," Caroline said, and then she frowned. Stephanie followed her gaze and saw Matt talking to another girl who was flirting with the oblivious boy. "Excuse me."

Caroline stalked over there and Steph kept her distance until Caroline compelled the girl, Amy Bradley, and Matt stalked off out of irritation. Stephanie quickly closed the difference between her and Caroline and looked at her disapprovingly.

"Hey, I just saw you compel that girl," She said as she frowned.

Caroline didn't deny it, "Yeah, but she deserved it."

"Caroline," Stephanie snapped sharply, "Nobody deserves to have their mind controlled."

"You know what?" Caroline asked scornfully, "I want to know why everyone's sticking up with Amy Stinking Bradley." She sighed angrily.

Steph let her temper go and sighed as well, "I know that she was flirting with Matt, but you can't let jealously get the best of you."

"Oh, so now I have super magnified jealousy issues too?" Caroline asked grumpily.

"I told you this wouldn't be easy," Steph reminded her gently.

"I might as well have just stayed dead," Caroline moaned, "My whole personality is killing me." Stephanie crossed her arms and felt a smile grace her features in response. Caroline saw her and said laughingly, "Just shut up."

"You want to go swimming?" Stephanie asked Caroline suddenly, "We are here after all. Might as well." Caroline brightened at the suggestion and the two girls walked to the edge of the swimming hole. They stripped to their bathing suits that were underneath their clothes, leaving the clothing in two small piles.

Steph pulled her dark hair into a pony tail and she heard Caroline gasp in surprise.

"What is it?" Stephanie asked, spinning around.

"I didn't know you had a tattoo," Caroline said accusingly, turning Steph back around and looking at the rose on Stephanie neck. The rose was blood red and the stem was emerald and winded down to the middle of her shoulder blades. "It's so cool," Caroline breathed, "When'd you get it?"

"Maybe I'll tell you some other time," Stephanie said and disentangled herself from Caroline's grip, "Let's swim."

The two vampires leapt into the lake, making two similar splashes, spattering nearby teenagers with water. They garnered a couple of foul looks, but Tyler had smirked at them both.

They played around in the water for a while but got out as the sky darkened. Stephanie towel dried herself and slipped her clothes back on over her body. She glanced over at Caroline who was already dressed and eyeing Matt mournfully.

"He's mad at me," Caroline said somberly.

"Go on and talk to him," Stephanie told her, "I'll wait for you."

Caroline beamed and started off towards her human boyfriend. Not a moment later, Stephanie's phone rang piercingly.

"Hey."

"Hey Steph," Jeremy's warm voice greeted her, "Listen, we got a bit of information here and I know it's going to sound crazy, but I wanted to call and let you know."

"There's not much that would surprise me anymore," Stephanie said smiling.

"You want to bet on that?" Jeremy asked seriously.

"I'm not so sure, now," Steph frowned at Jeremy's tone, "What's happened?"

"Well, first of all, werewolves exist," Jeremy started, "and second of all, we learnt that one bite will kill a vampire. We're not sure if it's true or not, but it's not exactly something we can test without someone possibly dying. And anyway, it's a full moon and after what you said you saw Mason Lockwood do . . . we shouldn't chance anything."

The breath went out of Stephanie and her eyes automatically searched the area for her friend. Caroline wasn't in sight.

"I'll be careful," Stephanie promised, "Listen, I'll see you when you get home."

"Steph, what's wrong?" Jeremy asked sharply, hearing the fear creeping into Stephanie's voice.

"Nothing, nothing, I'll explain when you get back," Stephanie hung up the phone before Jeremy could say anything more. "Where are you, Caroline?" She dialed the other girl's number and followed the sound of its ring to Matt's truck, but no one was there. Steph looked up and saw the moon reaching its apex and knew that time was running out.

She closed her eyes and focused her attuned sense of smell. Steph couldn't hear or scent Caroline, but she did hear a sharp screaming far too masculine to be her friend. Curiosity and fear warred in her, and Steph followed the sound to a truck deeper into the forest that was at the edge of the lake. The noise cut off abruptly, and Stephanie cautiously approached the back of the vehicle sitting in a small clearing.

It was entirely too quiet for Steph's liking, though that was quickly remedied; a low, heavy breathing sounded from the back of the truck. Stephanie took another hesitant step forward and promptly shouted in surprise as a large, furry, and vicious beast jumped clean through the glass of the window, shattering it outwards. The beast landed on top of Stephanie and the vampire scrabbled from underneath it, screaming. She managed a burst of strength and got her legs up under the werewolf, shoving it up and into the air, away from her.

The werewolf howled in rage and pain as it landed on top of the truck on its back, denting the roof inwards on contact. Stephanie wasted no time and leapt up from the ground and sped through the forest, searching frantically for her good friend.

She finally located Caroline as the young vampire tore into Matt's neck.

"Caroline!"

Stephanie sped towards her friend and tore her away from Matt. Caroline gasped as she struggled out of Stephanie's arms, terrified and hungry.

"Stop it, Care, come on, stop it!" Stephanie kept her fingers wrapped tightly around Caroline's forearms until the blond shuddered and blinked her eyes, turning them back to their normal blue instead of pitch black. The spidery veins crawling around her face slowly disappeared and Care's elongated canines slipped back up into her gums. "You're okay," Steph said quieter.

"Matt," Caroline moaned, "What did I do to Matt?"

"You'll have to worry about Matt later," Stephanie said urgently, then turned towards the human boy in question, commanding him to stay on the ground. She turned back to Caroline, "We need to get out of here, now."

A large figured ghosted around the woods, making both of the vampires tense up. Stephanie's green eyes flashed around their surrounding area for any sign of the werewolf, but found nothing. The silence unnerved her.

"What was that?" Caroline asked, "What just moved? You saw it, right?"

"You need to follow me, okay? We're going to run as fast as we can and not look back," Stephanie urged, shooting one last look at Matt's prone form. Caroline followed her gaze and opened her mouth to protest leaving him, but Steph said quickly, "We'll lead it away from him."

Confused, but eager to help Matt in any way after attacking him so viciously, Caroline agreed and the two vampires sped out of the area, trying to get out of the woods. Growling echoed in the forest, and Caroline's anxiety rose after each passing second. Unable to contain her fear and curiosity any longer, she stopped, pulling Steph to a standstill with her.

"What is it?" She burst out.

"It's a werewolf," Stephanie said without delay, "It's trying to kill us, and it can." Caroline's blue eyes widened at that and Steph could hear her slow heartbeat speed up with apprehension.

"Hey! What are you guys doing out here?"

The vampire girls spun around to see none other than Tyler Lockwood walking towards them, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Stephanie felt her eyes narrow.

"What are you doing?" She snapped.

Tyler opened his mouth to respond, but at that instant the werewolf from earlier – Mason, for sure – appear out of the trees and launch its body at Caroline. The usually bubbly vampire went down hard and fast underneath the 'wolf's heavy bulk, shrieking with terror and then pain as its claws tore into her shoulders.

"Get away from her!" Stephanie yelled, a burning righteous anger filling her up at the werewolf. Caroline was her friend, damn it, and Stephanie wasn't going to let some dog kill her on her watch. She flashed over to the pair and ripped the beast up by the scruff of its neck and threw it into a tree. Something snapped, but Steph barely heard it as she helped Caroline up from the ground.

"No!" Steph spun around just in time to see the werewolf stop itself from flying towards the vampires again. Tyler's hands were raised up towards the 'wolf, the command having just fallen from his lips. The werewolf turned to stare at Tyler, lips curled back into a snarl still, but it stepped back and then ran away.

Tyler turned to look at the girls, and asked loudly, "What the hell is going on?"

Hoping that the boy wasn't on Vervain, Stephanie flashed over to him and looked up into Tyler's eyes, compelling him to forget that he'd seen Caroline and Steph. He blinked when it was over, but by then Steph and Caroline were gone, arriving where they'd left Matt cowering on the ground.

Stephanie let Caroline compel her boyfriend, hanging back silently until Matt headed off back to where he'd parked his truck. The girls were silent for a moment.

"We'll get Matt on Vervain," Steph said quietly, "It'll keep him from being able to be compelled by you, but it'll also help keep vampires from drinking his blood."

"Vampires," Caroline scoffed, "No; just me. I'm the only one he needs protecting from."

"Care," Steph started.

"No, just, don't," Caroline replied softly. She looked down, and then back at Stephanie's sad face, "I can't believe I hurt him. I mean, he's the _only_ person that I _never_ wanted to hurt."

"It's not going to get easier, not at first," Stephanie admitted, "But you just have to work that much harder."

"I shouldn't be with him, should I?" Caroline asked reluctantly.

Steph emitted a dry laugh, but her eyes were sad, "I'm the last person that should tell you what to do about _that._ If I followed my own advice, I would have walked away from Jeremy a long time ago."

"Do you think you should have?" Caroline nearly whispered.

Stephanie pursed her lips. "I know I should have. I think sometimes that Damon and I should have never come back to Mystic Falls – there wouldn't be half as much crazy stuff happening every other week, otherwise, and Katherine definitely wouldn't have turned your life upside down. Zach would still be alive."

"Well, for the record," Caroline announced, "I'm glad you came. You're one of my best friends."

Stephanie smiled. "Thanks Care. You're one of my best friends too."

Caroline dropped Steph off at the Boarding House, and then headed to the Grill to catch up with Matt. Stephanie walked inside to find that the fire was going, and Jeremy was sitting on one of their couches. He beamed when Steph came into his line of sight and quickly got up to meet her halfway.

Jeremy wrapped her arms around Stephanie, and breathed in her scent, "I missed you today."

Steph smiled. "I missed you too."

"So what did you do?" Jeremy asked.

"That's a long story, involving vampires, witches, and werewolves," Stephanie said dryly.

"Oh my," Jeremy teased, but then became serious as Stephanie and he sat down on the couch before the fire and talked about their respective days.

When they were done talking, Stephanie reluctantly stood up.

"Want to go upstairs to bed?" Jeremy asked, "I told Jenna I'm staying over with Tyler. We corroborated our story too, in case she calls over there."

"In a minute," Steph said, "I'll meet you in there; first I'm going to tell Damon he was right about Mason being a werewolf."

"Alright," Jeremy said.

* * *

Damon's dreams were haunted by Katherine and Elena both, the doppelgängers switching places in his mind from 1864 and 2010. He dreamt of the first Founder's Day ball where he'd escorted Katherine, but the scene was quickly replaced with one of him and Elena at the Grill. Katherine appeared at his elbow, and soon both women were looking at him accusingly.

"You loved me first," Katherine murmured.

"He loves me now," Elena said to her.

Damon jackknifed up in his bed, startling Elena next to him. He wore no shirt and his chest was heaving with heavy breaths. Damon's eyes swiftly cut to Elena's frame next to him, still snuggled under the bedspread.

"What's wrong?" She mumbled, but Damon ran soothing hands along her back.

"Nothing, nothing," Damon murmured, "Weird dream, is all. Go back to sleep."

"Whatever you say, Damon." She turned over onto her side, cuddling the pillow close to her face.

Damon froze and turned his icy blue eyes onto the figure in his bed. He flashed up and growled, "Katherine."

She smirked as she sat up, "Caught on this time, have you? And here I thought I was getting better at this."

"What do want?" Damon asked in an irritated tone. Then he narrowed his icy orbs, "Where's Elena?"

Katherine tilted her head to the side, smiling innocently, "What? You don't think I've done something to her, do you? She's in the bathroom." She angled her head to point at Damon's bathroom.

"Elena?" Damon called warily, never letting his eyes leave Katherine's.

"What is it, Damon?" A feminine voice called back from the door. Damon could see steam rise from underneath, "I'm in the shower."

"Never mind," Damon called back.

"See?" Katherine asked teasingly, "You lovely lady's fine."

Damon crossed his arms, "How did you get into my head, Katherine? I'm not Steph, half of whose diet is on bunnies."

Katherine put a finger to her lips and smiled, "A lady never tells her secrets."

"Good thing you're not a lady," Damon growled and launched himself at Katherine, hands reaching in for a chokehold. The elder vampire just twisted their bodies, and threw Damon down onto the floor.

"You wound me, Damon," Katherine said in her lilting voice as she stood over his prone form. Damon hurtled back up and at her, but Katherine simply wrapped her hands around Damon's neck and squeezed. He choked.

"What do you want?"

"I wanted to see you," Katherine murmured quietly, looking at Damon through her eyelashes, "I missed you. Indulge me for a little while, if you please."

"Not happening, bitch," Damon huffed and Katherine let go of his neck, "Why are you back in town? Besides to terrorize me, of course."

"Silly Damon," Katherine said patronizingly, "I didn't come back to _terrorize_ you. I love you."

"See, I just don't believe that," Damon shrugged, letting his eyebrows go up, "You disappeared for a hundred and forty-five years, letting Steph and I believe you were dead. Then you show up out of the blue, claiming to want me back just as Elena and I get together." He wiggled his eyebrows, "You jealous, Katherine?"

Katherine pouted, "Maybe a little. In fact," She drew up close to Damon and pointed a finger into his chest, "I don't want you to see her anymore."

"Not a chance in hell," Damon brightly flashed her a false smile, "Now get out of my house."

"No," Katherine said, her eyes narrowing, "I'm serious. You're not to see Elena anymore unless you want her to watch her family die in front of her eyes, and then die herself afterwards." She winked and disappeared. Damon cursed loudly several time, and seconds later, Elena came out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel, which was wrapped securely around her.

"I heard voices; was Stephanie in here?" Elena asked curiously, "It sounded a bit tense. You guys aren't fighting, are you?" Her voice turned concerned.

"Nah, it was just Crazy Bitch out to ruin our morning," Damon said tensely, "But I sent Katherine away."

"What did she want?" Elena asked cautiously.

"Same old, same old," Damon drawled, "For you to leave and to have my fabulous body and attentions to herself. But alas, I had to turn her down because I already have a beautiful goddess in my bedroom." He carefully left any death threats out of his explanation.

"We look exactly the same," Elena deadpanned, one eyebrow drawing up.

Damon shrugged innocently.

Shaking her head, Elena changed the subject. "Are you coming to the barbeque at Jenna's today?"

Glad of the distraction, Damon said, "Of course; it was my idea to have one." He walked to his dresser and threw some of his clothes onto his bed, and heard Elena walk over to pick up her own discarding apparel from last night.

"What do you mean?" She questioned.

"I needed some kind of excuse to get Mason to come over so I could meet him," Damon said innocently.

"What are you planning?" Elena asked sharply, eyes narrowing. She let her towel drop and started putting on her clothes.

Damon let his eyes wander as he pulled on his pants.

"Going to expose Mason for being a werewolf by putting some silver into him," Damon said.

"Damon!"

"Anyway, I'm going to pick up some peach cobbler from the Grill to soften Jenna up. I think she's still upset that you're dating an older man," Damon said, then smirked, "If only she knew _how much_ older."

Elena's protests fell onto deaf ears as her boyfriend left her half-dressed as he breezed out of his bedroom. The door shut with a quiet click and Elena sighed to herself.

* * *

Stephanie and Jeremy woke up and dressed, missing Katherine's visit completely, but Steph heard Damon breeze out of the house.

"I'm picking up cobbler for the barbeque, dear sister! If you're coming, don't be late!"

Stephanie sent Jeremy a quizzical look. "Barbeque?"

"Jenna's hosting it," Jeremy explained, lacing up his tennis shoes while he sat on Steph's bed, "Alaric suggested it to her. He's coming, along with Mason Lockwood and now it appears, Damon too. Elena will be there. Not sure about Caroline or Bonnie though. You should come too."

"Sure," Steph agreed, "Sounds fine. As long as Katherine doesn't make any appearances today."

"Can't exactly hide in your house forever," Jeremy pointed out, "even if she does show up somewhere." The two left sometime after Elena did, and showed up last at Jenna's house.

As soon as they stepped through the door, Stephanie saw that Caroline was in fact there, and appeared worse for wear. Letting go of Jeremy's hand, Steph walked over to her and Elena.

"What's wrong?" She asked worriedly.

"Matt and I broke up last night at the Grill," Caroline sniffled, "But it's okay. It's safer for him, and Matt could probably use a break from my neuroticism, anyway."

"I'm sorry, Care," Stephanie murmured. Caroline appeared more agitated than sad though, and Stephanie wondered what else was bothering the other girl. Letting it go for the time being, Steph heard people in the kitchen, and focused on them for a moment, but it was just Damon being an ass to Mason while pretending to be nice.

"Food's ready," Alaric announced the room large, "Come and get it, everybody." Jenna had dragged more chairs over to the kitchen table with Alaric's help (Steph noticed that they were a lot more cozy with each other that afternoon). Jenna and Alaric sat next to each other, and on Alaric's left was Mason, and then Jeremy and Stephanie, and Damon sat on Steph's other side, followed by first Elena, and then Caroline, who was on Jenna's other side. The blonde was twitchy all throughout the meal, sending Damon and Elena looks throughout the hour while they ate.

Stephanie narrowed her eyes at her, and looked at Damon and Elena, but saw nothing out of the ordinary about the couple. Elena was trying to get Jenna to warm up to Damon, while Damon made poor quality dog jokes and animal puns at Mason. Steph's eyes wandered back to Caroline, who was still looking anxious.

After lunch, everyone went to play charades where Damon blatantly tried to expose Mason with a _Dances with Wolves_ drawing, involving an animal that was supposed to be a wolf in a tutu.

Stephanie shot Damon a warning look, but the latter just smirked and mouthed, 'I've got this.' Stephanie noticed that when her brother thought no one was looking, also appeared a bit stressed. Curious, but not wanting to pry at the moment, Steph shoved her worry over Damon down.

Once the game of charades was over, everyone settled down to eat dessert, which was composed of a peach cobbler and some ice cream. Stephanie saw Damon put the cobbler on a silver dish and made sure that the knife server was also of the same make. She gave him a look, but Damon just winked lavishly.

Steph felt Jeremy's chest rumble with silent laughter and so she squeezed his hand tighter, warning him against encouraging her brother; Damon needed no praise for this.

"Mason, I think you should start us off," Damon said smiling widely.

Mason smiled sunnily as well, but Steph and most of the table saw how his face fell at the sight of the silver server. He turned the cobbler around and used his hands to scoop out his piece and Steph felt Jeremy silently laughing again.

When Mason saw everyone watching him after digging his hands into the cobbler, he laughed cheerfully, "I apologize; I'm an animal."

Damon sent Stephanie a victorious look.

Alaric intervened, though he was looking distinctly unsettled, "So Mason. You and Jenna never dated?"

"Nah," Mason shook his head and then added teasingly, "She was always lost in Logan Fell Land."

"Ah," Jenna sighed, "My first mistake. Mason was a catch; he had girls lining up."

"Really? Huh," Damon said and popped open a beer, sipping it, "I'd always pegged you as a lone wolf."

Stephanie face palmed.

"Oh, I'm sure I wasn't half the lady killer you were," Mason said, toning his smile down. Elena was shooting Damon warning looks now as well. "How about we make a toast?" Mason suggested, "To new friends."

"Cheers," The adults chorused as they clinked beers, and the teenagers raised their cokes and lemonades.

After dessert was over, everyone but Damon filtered out of the kitchen, having said he'd clean up.

"Jenna just brought out Guitar Hero," Mason said walking back in a few minutes later, "I might have to start a mutiny."

"Well, I just so happen to like Guitar Hero," Damon drawled, "you, my friend, are barking up the wrong tree."

Mason rolled his eyes, "Enough with the innuendoes, you win; you're hilarious."

"Thank you," Damon returned smugly.

"You don't think I don't know what this barbeque is about?" Mason asked suddenly.

Damon and he leant closer together, the former far more antagonistic, "How do you know about me? Your brother was entirely clueless."

"It doesn't matter," Mason deflected.

"You tried to kill my baby sister," Damon narrowed his eyes as he turned to put a glass away.

Mason's tone turned defensive, "That was a mistake."

"Really?" Damon asked, making his disbelief clear.

"Yes. There was confusion; I couldn't chain myself up in time. I have no control once I shift," Mason explained.

"Aw, what? No obedience school?" Damon asked mockingly.

"I'm serious. Let's not spark some age old feud that doesn't apply to us," Mason said clearly.

"You expect me to believe that you're in Mystic Falls planting peach trees?" Damon asked cynically.

"I lost my brother," Mason said seriously, "My nephew lost his father. I'm here for my family. Let's be above this." He put his hand out for Damon to shake.

The vampire eyed it, and let one hand go to shake it while the other snaked behind his back and to the sink. Mason and Damon released each other's hands, and the werewolf turned around. Damon picked up a silver knife and followed Mason as he walked away.

In the living room, Stephanie sat next to Caroline on the floor a few feet from the couch as Elena and Jeremy played against each other at Guitar Hero.

"Care," Stephanie murmured quietly, careful not to alert the humans in the room "Are you alright? Besides Matt?"

Caroline started violently, her azure blue eyes widening almost comically. Her hair whipped her neck as she swung her head to face Stephanie.

"Ev-everything's fine," Caroline stuttered, "I'm just-just upset about Matt."

Stephanie nodded slowly, "Are you sure? You seem really agitated, Care. You can tell me, you know? Are the blood cravings bad today?"

Caroline clung to the excuse Steph accidently offered her and nodded vigorously, "Yes. They're really bad – ever since I woke up I've just been so _hungry._ "

"Right," Steph said, disbelieving her friend. There was something not right – Caroline didn't stutter and she certainly usually wasn't this high strung. Well. Not _as_ high strung. "We can go hunting later, if you'd like." Caroline just nodded and thanked Stephanie demurely, and turned her attention back to the game Jeremy and Elena were playing.

Steph knew as she watched Caroline that something was wrong – and it wasn't Matt or blood cravings. She had a vague suspicion ("Katherine said to tell you 'Game on'") but for now, Stephanie would just keep an eye on her friend.

In the foyer, Mason was asking, "Any takers for more drinks at the Grill?"

A chorus of negative answers replied to him.

"I'm with a bunch of adults here," He joked.

"I prefer the term role model," Jenna teased.

"Well, okay then. Thanks for having me," Mason hugged Jenna and shook Alaric's hand.

"Alaric, catch that game next week?" Mason asked.

"Sure," The other man agreed easily.

Damon walked into the foyer, "You know, I should probably head out too." He nodded at Mason, and the werewolf left. "Jenna," Damon paused at his girlfriend's guardian, "You are a wonderful hostess."

"And you are a terrible artist," Jenna said as Damon kissed her hand.

"And is that the only thing I'm terrible for?" Damon asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I'm still deciding," Jenna said, never having been on the Delena bandwagon.

"Good enough for me," Damon declared, "Oh, and Alaric? Let's _not_ catch that game next week." The History teacher nodded his understanding.

"Steph!" Damon hollered, "You staying here or coming home with me?"

Stephanie's head popped up around the corner, her curls bobbing. "I'm staying here. Jeremy will take me home." Her eyes narrowed at Damon though; a warning not to do anything stupid.

Damon just smiled and left.

He trailed Mason's car until the man pulled over and stepped out.

"Damon?" He asked curiously, "What, more dog jokes?" Mason's smile was congenial.

"Nah," Damon said, waving a hand, "Those got old." He whipped out the silver knife and stabbed Mason in the gut. The werewolf bent forwards in half, grunting at the pain. He fell to the ground, and Damon stepped around him to open the back of the truck. Damon ruffled through Mason's things, but turned around when he heard Mason rise.

"You know, I think it was werewolves that started the myth of silver being poison to us," He said conversationally, "for moments like this." Mason walked passed Damon and shut the back of his truck.

"Dually noted," Damon said with a tight and forceful smile.

Mason looked down at his wound which was no longer bleeding and then walked up to Damon. The vampire stiffened as Mason said, "Now you've made an enemy."

He turned and walked back to his car, leaving Damon standing in the middle of road as Mason drove away.

"Ah, damn it," Damon said as he watched Mason's truck disappear.

* * *

 

* * *

When Damon finally made it home to the Boarding House, Stephanie and Elena were in the living room, sitting together. Steph's green eyes flashed to Damon's icy ones, and she immediately stood, "What did you do?"

"Nothing," Damon said unconvincingly.

Elena let one of her eyebrows rise on her forehead. "Really."

Damon pursed his lips, and the two women in his life simultaneously sighed. Elena stood and walked to Damon's side, hands on her hips. Steph stood by the couch, but her glare was unnerving in its intenseness.

"I may have stabbed Mason with a silver knife," Damon admitted and Elena's gasped and Steph glared.

"You idiot," Stephanie accused, "Why did you do that for?"

"It didn't work anyway," Damon defended, "He got right back up again."

"And he's just going to let an attempt on his life go, is he?" Stephanie asked as her arms crossed over her chest.

"Well, no," Damon acknowledged, "Mason said I'd made a new enemy." Elena smacked Damon's shoulder and Stephanie's glare strengthened.

"Well," Damon announced, "If you all are just going to be abusive to me, I'll be going to my room." He walked to his alcohol area and poured himself a tumbler of bourbon, but then paused, and decided to take the entire bottle with him. He could feel the burning glares his sister and girlfriend were shooting at his back, so Damon walked faster up to his room.

As soon as Damon disappeared, the two girls went to sit back on the couch, but Steph paused as she heard footsteps and then a pained grunt upstairs.

"What is it?" Elena asked her, "Did you hear something?"

Stephanie nodded vaguely and put a finger to her lips. She heard Elena's sharp intake of breath and spun around to see Katherine inches away from her best friend.

"You must be Elena," Katherine said, letting her eyes sweep the younger girl's form.

"Katherine," Stephanie spat.

"How do we look exactly alike?" Elena asked, clearly unnerved.

"You're asking the wrong questions," Katherine drawled, walking close to Elena, letting her finger trail across her collar bone.

"What did you do to Damon?" Stephanie demanded, realizing whose pained grunt she must have heard moments ago.

"Still the wrong question . . ." Katherine trailed off, smirking. She appraised Elena again, and then said to Stephanie, "Oh, Steph? Sorry I haven't had the time to stop by and chat, but I promise I'll do that soon." She winked and disappeared.

"Elena! Stephanie!" Steph looked up to see Damon flash down the stairs, the smell of blood clinging to his body, "Did she do something to you?" He demanded, eyes searching Elena's form.

"No," Elena said shakily.

"Are you alright?" Damon asked, enfolding his girlfriend into his arms.

"Not really," Elena repeated, "Are you?" She eyed the blood stain on his shirt.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Damon said nonchalantly.

Stephanie eyed them, and once she was satisfied that Damon's wound was already healed, let herself out of the house and back to the Gilbert's. It was a dark night; the moon was unseen behind the clouds, along with the usually bright stars that would shine down onto the streets.

She slipped into Jeremy's bedroom window, startling the human.

"Gah!" He yelled, tumbling off of his bed. Jeremy landed with a thump on his bottom and he blinked owlishly up at Stephanie. Steph attempted a smile at him.

"Jeremy! You okay up there?" Jenna shouted from what seemed like was the living room. Stephanie could hear Alaric with her, puttering around.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Jeremy called back. He turned and looked at Steph, and smiled, "Hey. Did Damon do something to Mason like you thought he would?"

"Yeah," Stephanie sighed and she and Jeremy climbed into his bed, "And then Katherine made an appearance."

"Is everyone okay?" Jeremy asked, concerned. His eyes swept over Stephanie, searching for injuries.

"I'm fine," Stephanie assured him, and Jeremy settled his head back against the headboard. He wrapped his arms around Stephanie securely, drawing her close to his chest. Steph laid her head above Jeremy's heart, sighing as the reassuring sound of his beating heart. _Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump._

"That's good," Jeremy murmured, "Are you spending the night?"

Steph nodded into his chest and Jeremy smiled, letting his eyes slide closed.


	9. waist deep in the river, can you hear me plea?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "And I don't fancy spending the next month trying to get librarian out of the carpet. There are other ways."
> 
> -Spike; Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Jeremy woke up to sun streaming through his window and a light weight on him. He blinked his bleary eyes and saw Stephanie lying on his chest, with his arms circled around her. Her long hair was fanned out around her pale, angelic face and her rosy mouth was slightly puckered. Steph' eyes danced beneath their lids, leading Jeremy to believe she was dreaming. He gently eased his body off of the bed and carefully slid his comforter over Stephanie, up to her slim shoulders.

Jeremy padded to the bathroom he and Elena shared and was surprised to see Elena there and getting ready. She saw him in the mirror and gave him a small smile in greeting.

"Hey, 'Lena," Jeremy said, and leant on the door hinge, "I thought you'd spend the night over at the Boarding House."

"I did," Elena said, slipping the cap off of her lipstick tube and started to apply it, "But I got up early and came back here to get dressed; everything over there is dirty and Steph's clothes are too short for me to wear."

Jeremy hummed and crossed his arms, "You know about Mason being a werewolf, right? Is Tyler one too, do you think?"

Surprised at the abrupt subject change, Elena paused in administrating her make up, but then continued, "No, we don't know that yet."

"It should be easy enough to figure out," Jeremy said quietly, shuffling his feet on the soft beige carpet. Elena made a noise of disagreement though.

"How?"

"I could talk to Tyler first," Jeremy offered, "We're kind of friends. Enough that he mentioned some moonstone that his Uncle Mason's been looking for."

"Moonstone?" Elena frowned and put her make up down. She turned around and looked at Jeremy quizzically.

"Yeah," Jeremy shrugged, "I don't know what it is or anything, but Tyler let on that Mason seemed to want it pretty bad."

"When did you find this out?" Elena asked curiously.

"At Mayor Lockwood's wake," Jeremy replied, "It just hadn't seemed important at the time. At least, not until we found out that Mason was a werewolf."

Elena's eyebrows were furrowed, but she nodded. "Damon's coming over to pick me up for the Historical Society Volunteer Day. Do you and Steph want a ride?"

Jeremy turned his head a little and saw Stephanie curled up into a small ball in the center of Jeremy's bed, her head resting on a pillow. He looked back at Elena, who was hiding a smile, and said, "Nah. We'll run or something, I guess."

"Whatever you say," Elena smiled and gave Jeremy a one armed hug, "Just don't let Jenna find out about your sleepover."

"Why?" Jeremy asked as Elena headed for the stairs, "Because she thinks you're with Steph and not Damon?"

"Say that a little louder, would you?" Elena said, mock angrily, but disappeared down the stairs too fast for Jeremy to say something back to her. Jeremy walked back into his room and decided the perfect way to rouse his girlfriend would be to kiss her awake.

.

.

.

When Stephanie and Jeremy finally arrived at the park the Historical Society volunteers were meeting at, Steph had resolved to find Mason and try to mend the bridge Damon had burned and danced on the previous night.

"I'm coming," Jeremy insisted to Stephanie, his hand wrapped around hers.

Steph gently disentangled their fingers, and said quietly, "No, you need to go and find Tyler, wherever he may be, and try to get some information about the moonstone that Mason wants, and try to figure out if Tyler's a werewolf. I'll be fine."

Jeremy loitered for a few minutes more, but eventually left in search of Tyler. Stephanie straightened her green-grey hoody jacket she was sporting that day, and used her sensitive hearing and sense of smell to locate Mason Lockwood.

Luckily for her, the werewolf seemed to give off a distinctive animalistic scent; it was not unpleasant at all, but woodsier than a normal human would smell – like damp earth after a summer shower. Steph found Mason unloading boxes out of the bed of his truck, and she put her hands into her jeans pockets and make sure not to scuff her boots on the gravel as she approached him.

"You must be Stephanie," Mason greeted as he turned around, "The Other Salvatore."

"The sweet one, at that," Steph said while she attempted a smile, "The one offering an apology on her idiotic brother's behalf."

But Mason was pursing his lips in a discouraging way and already shaking his head, "Not interested."

"Look," Stephanie said as her hands came out of her pockets and spread in front of her in a nonthreatening manner, "My brother acted impulsively."

"You think?" Mason scoffed, looking down at Steph's small stature.

"If you and Damon keep at each other's throats," Stephanie tried appealing to the man's better nature, "Then someone's going to get hurt. I don't want that and you have family here; so I can't imagine that you'd want that either. So, what do you say that you and Damon just quit the whole alpha male fighting thing and just call it a truce?"

Mason pointed at Steph, "I made that same offer to your brother and he turned it down. With a knife."

"He made a mistake," Stephanie said, blinking her oaf leaf green eyes up at the werewolf, "And I'm here to make sure that neither of you make another one."

Mason just shook his head and picked up one of his boxes and started over towards the picnic tables, "Tell your brother to watch his back."

Irritation and protective anger flashed through Stephanie's core as her hand flew out and caught Mason's bicep. She squeezed it in warning, watching Mason's face as a flash of surprise flitted over his features. He schooled them back into impassiveness.

"Well, I'm guessing that he only has to worry about that during a full moon," Stephanie said with an edge in her voice, "Otherwise, you're not as strong, right? Surely you would have killed Damon by now if you could." She raised her eyebrows questioningly at the werewolf. When Mason said nothing, she said quietly, "There's one of you; there's two of us. I think you're the one who needs to watch your back."

Mason closed his eyes and nodded once, sharply, and Steph let go of the man's bicep. She could see bruises forming and disappearing on the arm.

"If he comes at me . . ." He finally said, and Steph shook her head.

"He won't," She promised, and Steph and Mason shook his hands. The werewolf turned and walked away with his box under his arm, and Stephanie kept an eye on him.

She felt Damon's presence at her shoulder, and her brother rumbled, "What are you doing?"

"Negotiating peace on your behalf, you ass," Stephanie said with no bite.

"But I don't want peace," Damon whined, and Steph could almost picture him stomping his feet like she'd seen him do once when she was a small child.

"Oh, I guess you'll have to consider it opposite day," Steph said, tilting her head to look up at Damon. The taller vampire frowned down at her.

"Steph," Damon walked around and put his hands on his sister's slender shoulders and said, "Please don't tell me that you think that handshake is going to solve all of our problems with Mason Lockwood."

Stephanie quirked an eyebrow and removed Damon's hands, putting her own on hips, "No, actually, I think the first chance he gets, Mason's getting to come and drive stake through your heart and then one through mine; all because you took it upon yourself to attempt to kill him. So thank you, because we didn't have enough problems."

Damon sighed loudly through his nose, but changed the topic before Stephanie could wander off, "I think Barbie's hiding something from us."

Steph rocked back on the heels of her boots and eyed Damon inquisitively, "Oh?"

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed?" Damon asked with his eyebrows as high as his hairline, "She was weird yesterday and what I've seen of her today. She tried to get Elena and me to fight today at least twice. Something's up."

"I didn't know you cared," Stephanie said sardonically, but was surprised that someone else had noticed Caroline's weird behavior. She'd wanted to brush if off as Caroline having a bad day, but . . .

Steph saw Damon looking over towards the covered picnic tables, but couldn't see what he was watching.

"I don't," Damon disagreed, "But I won't have Barbie interfering with Elena and me. You," He pointed at Steph, "Fix it." Damon spun around and walked away, leaving Stephanie biting the inside of her cheek in annoyance.

.

.

.

Damon left Stephanie behind him, a small smirk on his face as he imagined her holding back a few scathing comments at his dismissal. He found Liz over at the refreshments and decided ask her about her conversation with Mason that took place moments ago.

"Hey, Liz," Damon greeted, "I saw you with Mason earlier. What was that about?"

"Oh," Liz avoided eye contact, "I uh, I didn't, I asked him to help with the clean-up in the woods."

Damon tilted his head at his one good human friend, and said, "That's what I'm here for; put me to work," When she didn't say anything, Damon asked, "Should I go help him?"

"Oh, no, no, no, no," Liz shook her head, "I'm sure he's fine."

Damon narrowed his eyes in worry, "Are you okay, Liz? You seem really upset."

Liz met his eyes for the first time that afternoon, "It's Caroline. We had a moment."

"Oh," Damon wasn't convinced, "Is there anything I can do? I have a teenage sister; I might be able to help."

"No," Liz said almost sadly, "Thank you. Just horrible parenting skills paying off in spades." She excused herself and walked away, leaving Damon confused and alone.

.

.

.

When Jeremy met up with Tyler at the Grill, he thought it'd just be him and Ty hanging out. He'd question Tyler a bit; maybe play some pool or something. Then two girls had gotten involved, and the four of them ended up at Tyler's empty house dancing around to pop music and drinking some questionable substances.

One of the girls, Sarah, was practically glued to Jeremy's side, and he wasn't oblivious enough to not realize she was flirting with him. Jeremy tried letting her down gently at first, but the girl continued to come on strongly.

Amy Bradley was occupying Tyler's time, so he couldn't use that as an excuse. Eventually, he put out his hands in front of Sarah and gently pushed her away.

Firmly, Jeremy said, "I have a girlfriend."

Sarah winked, "I won't tell her if you don't."

"I love her," Jeremy said steadfastly.

"And I love my Jimmy Choos," Sarah teased, flipping her long hair.

"Did you just compare my girlfriend to your shoes?" Jeremy asked as his face started to flush with anger. Sarah seemed to understand and backed off a bit, hands raised in surrender.

Jeremy sighed, and just when he thought things were going down the drain, Sarah caught sight of his sketch book in his backpack. His eyes cut to Tyler and he agreed to let everyone look at the sketches. After all, there were some pictures of wolves in there. Maybe he'd get a confession.

.

.

.

Damon had wandered a bit and helped Elena with some painting, but then Barbie had appeared and tried to get them in another argument, which it appeared, was more successful than her last attempt. Damon walked away before things could get too heated, and found Mason at the refreshments table.

"Hey Mason," Damon let a lazy smile find its way on his face.

"Damon," Mason replied.

"Workin' hard?" Damon inquired.

"Doing my part," Mason vaguely replied.

"I just talked to Stephanie," Damon mentioned.

"Nice girl," Mason nodded his head, but his fingers clenched around his cup, "Sweet."

Damon narrowed his eyes, "Certainly a lot nicer than me. And I'm about as sweet as porcupine."

"Nice is overrated," Mason said flatly, "Sweet's for girls."

"That's what I think," Damon's eyes widened in faux surprise.

"You have a good day, Damon," Mason excused himself and left. Damon watched him go and didn't notice Stephanie approach until she started speaking to him.

"Please tell me that you were just bonding," Stephanie begged.

"Why would I do that?" Damon asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Stephanie sighed and a little girl offered Damon a cup of lemonade. Her brother took it gratefully and took a sip. He spat it back out immediately, doubling over with wracks of coughs as his hands reached for his throat. Steph went to his side quickly and grabbed the cup out of his hand and set it on the table.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked worriedly.

"Vervain," He choked out.  "Vervain in the lemonade."

Stephanie helped Damon sit on the brick, rubbing his back as he coughed roughly. Steph got up and retrieved a couple of water bottles and gave them to Damon, who immediately chugged one and used the other to gargle out the taste of the foul poison.

"I'm gonna kill him," Damon said and stood, wiping his mouth.

"Hey, hey," Stephanie started.

"No, Steph, I'm not listening to anymore peace crap," Damon said vehemently.

"I know, I know," Stephanie said, "I don't care for it, but he's making threats and he could expose us, so we need to put him down." She crossed her arms unhappily.

"Alright, let's do it," Damon said, initially surprised at his sister's willingness, "He's in the woods; trash duty. Follow me." He led Stephanie after Mason and they took off after the werewolf. Mason's trail was easy to follow and they came into view when he was alone. Damon emerged from the trees first, appearing in front of Mason. The man stepped backwards a little.

"Oh, don't look so surprised," Damon told Mason flatly, "You knew this was inevitable." Stephanie came up behind Mason. "Go ahead; run. We'll give you a head start," Damon inclined his head to the left.

He ducked, instead.

Stephanie knew the sound of gun shots anywhere, possibly because it was a gun that had ended hers and Damon's human lives or just because she'd been alive during numerous wars. So when that unmistakable sound fired behind her ear, Steph's eyebrows furrowed and she stifled a flinch.

The bullet went straight passed her and into Damon's chest, followed by another round that knocked him flat on his torso in the dirt, his face pressed into the earth. Stephanie spun around only to be pelted with bullets in her front. She gasped in pain; they were wooden and burned with sheer agony as they buried into her flesh. She stumbled backwards a few steps and then fell onto her back, giving her a view of the tops of the trees and the blue sky overhead. Just before her world went dark, Steph saw Mason stand and smirk down at her and her brother, his blond hair ruffling in the wind.

.

.

.

Jeremy and Tyler were alone in the latter's late father's office as they circled each other. Once Jeremy had confronted Tyler, the other boy was insistent that he tell him everything he knew.

"I read about some stuff in my ancestor's journal," Jeremy hedged. He wasn't about to let Tyler know Stephanie and Damon's secret. "He was supposedly crazy, and wrote about all kinds of things; including a curse that ran in your family."

"What kind of curse?" Tyler asked warily.

"Lycanthropy. He said you were all werewolves. Crazy, right? But the night Matt was attacked, it was under a full moon and your uncle had just gotten back into town. It was too weird. Is it true?"

"About my uncle?" Tyler asked as he settled onto the couch in his father's office, "Yeah."

"You? You're not?" Jeremy asked urgently, but tried to tone down his apprehension.

"A 'wolf?" Tyler asked derisively, "No. I mean, not yet. You know, saying that out loud, it sounds crazy."

"I don't think so," Jeremy said, "But then I always did believe in the crazy stuff."

"According to my uncle," Tyler explained, "You have to trigger the curse. Somebody has to die at your hands, like murder or an accident. We have to cause death, and then boom – next full moon you're crawling on all fours and howling at the moon."

"Is that why he came back?" Jeremy interrogated without giving the impression that's what it was, "To tell you all that?"

Tyler snorted, "No. He had to tell me; I caught him. He's not here for me." He pulled out a small rock and lifted it up, "He's here for this; it's the moonstone I told you about at my dad's wake."

Jeremy cocked his head to the side. "What does he want with it?"

"I have no idea."

.

.

.

When Damon woke up, it was to blinding pain and sluggishness in his head and body. His brain was working slowly from, Damon deduced, what was probably vervain. He lying in the dirt underground somewhere, he was sure. Damon blinked awake to find Liz Forbes training a gun on him, her expression fierce. She shot him in the knee and he screamed.

"This is how it's going to work; answer me and you don't get shot," Liz said in a hard professional voice, "How many of you are there?"

Deep inside of him, a voice told Damon that this is why he didn't trust anyone outside of the family. The sting of Liz's betrayal hurt.

"Liz . . . please," He begged, but Liz just shot him in the upper thigh of his left leg. He cried out again.

"How did you fool us? How do you walk in the sun?" Liz demanded. When Damon said nothing, she trained her gun onto a point to Damon's left and fired. He rolled his head that way and felt his insides go cold; Stephanie's still form was next to him and riddle with bullet holes.

"I will drag this out painfully," Liz warned, and shot Stephanie again. Steph didn't twitch.

"But . . . you're my friend," Damon choked out painfully as anger and hurt warred inside of him.

"Our friendship was a lie. Answer me and I'll kill you quickly," Liz snapped. Damon refused to say anything, and after shooting Stephanie and Damon each twice more each, Liz turned to her deputies, "He's not going to tell us anything. Kill them both."

Damon groaned and used all of his strength to turn his head to look at Stephanie. She was unnaturally still; he'd have thought that she would wake up after being shot – the pain was unbearable.

A noise caught his attention and suddenly Elena was in the same underground room as them, angry and practically spitting fire at Liz in Damon and Steph's defense. Caroline appeared next, surprising Damon as she attacked the two officers, killing them. Her mother trained her gun on her daughter, but Liz's face was frozen in shock.

"Hi Mom," Caroline said quietly. Mouth painted red with blood, spidery veins trickling around her eyes, and elongated canines made Caroline look as vicious as a demon straight out of hell.

She flashed to her mother's side and disarmed her, and Elena hurried to Damon's side, putting her wrist to his mouth. Damon gratefully bit in gently and suckled like a newborn babe, for that's all of the strength he had.

Caroline urged her mother into a wooden chair and sat close to her.

The blood strengthened Damon, and he dragged his body over to a deputy and drained him dry and then picked out of the bullets of his own body. Once that agonizing torture was over, he limped slowly over to Stephanie's small form and with Elena's help, took out all of the bullets. Damon dragged another dead deputy over and put his bloody neck up to Stephanie's mouth.

She didn't respond.

Elena was looking at her worriedly, and so Damon dabbed his fingers in the blood and smeared it on Stephanie's lips. She twitched a little and came to, and Damon helped her latch onto the deputy.

He turned back to Liz and limped over to her.

"Well, this is a most unfortunate situation," Damon announced, "Two deputies dead, and you," He eyed Liz, "What am I going to do with you?"

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" Caroline asked her mother hesitantly. Liz looked at her and then turned her gaze back to the floor of the cave or tomb, whichever it was. "Mom. Mom? Please! Look, I know that we don't really get along and that you hate me, but I'm your daughter. And you'd do this for me, right? Please? He will kill you."

"Then kill me," Liz said sharply in response and Caroline flinched back.

"No!" Caroline yelled.

"I can't take this," Liz moaned, "Kill me, now." Damon leant over Liz's form and let his eyes track her every movement. The Sheriff froze and didn't meet Damon's eyes.

"You were going to drag it out so painfully," Damon whispered into Liz's face. He grabbed her and lifted her to her feet from her sitting position.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Caroline screamed.

"Damon!" Elena yelled from her place sitting next to Stephanie's shuddering form.  "Stop! This isn't you anymore!"

"Relax," Damon assured everyone, but his gaze was locked with Liz's.  "I'm not going to kill you. You're my friend." He turned back to Elena, Caroline, and Stephanie, "We've got to clean this up."

.

.

.

Once the bodies were burned, Caroline escorted her mother to the Boarding House and Elena and Damon and Stephanie all supported each other as they walked to Damon's car.  Steph checked her phone and saw that there was only one missed call, from Jeremy half an hour ago. She dismissed the idea of calling him back that second, and decided to wait.  

Once at the Salvatore home, Caroline waited for the household members to get back, and then she ran to her house and retrieved her mother's things for the next three days; the plan was for Liz to stay in the basement with a cot and some material to keep her busy until the vervain left her system. Damon would then compel her to forget everything she'd seen.  While Damon, Elena, and Caroline were downstairs, Stephanie dialed Jeremy's number.

"Hey," Jeremy greeted, "I've got some news for you guys about the Lockwood's."

"Great," Stephanie said unenthusiastically. Her eyes flittered over to the stairs as Caroline came up, distraught, and Elena followed her.

"Uh oh," Jeremy murmured, "What happened?"

"Got caught in a trap by Mason Lockwood and Liz Forbes and was shot up with some wooden bullets. Then Damon and I were rescued by Caroline and your sister. Liz is here for the next few days to stay in our basement until Damon or I can compel her to forget," Stephanie rattled off. She frowned as Caroline sat on the couch and became teary eyed.

"I'll come over," Jeremy offered.

"No," Steph said, eyes on Caroline, "It'll be fine; you can fill us in tomorrow. I think Caroline needs Elena and me tonight. I'll you later."

"Love you," Jeremy said, not arguing, though Stephanie could tell he wanted to.

"Love you too."

Steph hung up and walked over to Elena and Caroline as Elena was asking, "Do you want me to drive you home?"

"No, I can't," Caroline muttered tearfully.

"Why not?" Stephanie asked quietly as she sat next to her friend.

"I'm scared," Caroline admitted.

"Of what?" Elena asked, "Caroline, you can talk to us."

"Katherine's going to be there," Caroline said, "And she's going to want me to tell her everything that happened today. She told me I had to spy on you, Elena, and report back to her. She was going to kill Matt, Elena, you have to understand," She begged.

It wasn't shocking to neither Stephanie nor Elena, as both had had their suspicions about Caroline's behavior over the past few days.

"It's . . . okay," Elena said finally, "Damon and I talked and we both suspected something was going on. And I've been so mad at you, been then I tried to put myself in your position, to try to understand why you'd do this to me and to Damon."

Elena and Stephanie sat on either side of Caroline as the blond started to sob, "I'm so scared of her, so, so scared."

"You should be," Elena said, "Caroline, we all should be."

"Elena," Stephanie said quietly, "That's not helping."

"It's fine, Steph," Caroline gave her a watery smile that soon disappeared. She asked aloud, "Why is Katherine doing this? What does she want?"

"That's the million dollar question," Elena admitted. The three girls sat in silence for a minute, and they all looked up when Damon walked up.

"Want me to take you home?" Damon asked Elena and she nodded. Damon held his hand out for her and she took it. The two of them left, shutting the front door quietly behind them.

The two remaining people in the house sighed softly in the silence.

"Do you want to sleep down here or up in my room?" Stephanie asked quietly, turning her head to look at her friend.

Caroline wiped at her eyes.

"I don't really want to be alone right now," She muttered.

"It's okay," Steph said, "Come on."

.

.

.

The next morning, Stephanie woke up and swung her legs off of the side of her bed, wiping the sleep out of her eyes. She rose and walked over to her large window that overlooked the forest sitting on the side of the Boarding House. Stephanie pulled back the curtains and blinked against the sudden onslaught of light. The sun looked to have risen a few hours ago, and so Steph turned around to get dressed. The Lockwood family was hosting the Masquerade Ball the next evening, and they were all going over their property to help get things ready.

"Gah, what's with the bright light? Turn it off," Caroline moaned and rolled over, which unfortunately for her, deposited the blond onto the hard wooden floor. "Oof!"

Stephanie smiled wryly, "That's the floor."

"Yeah. Yeah, I got that," Caroline muttered. Her messy hair became visible as she peeked over the side of the bed at Stephanie.

"How are you feeling?" Stephanie asked and the good humor the morning had wrought melted from her face.

The corners of Caroline's mouth turned down and the blond rose up from the hard floor. She brushed off imaginary dust from her shirt and pants, looking anywhere but Steph's face. "Fine."

"Caroline," Stephanie said disbelievingly.

"I just don't want to talk about it right now," Caroline defensively replied and Steph took a step back, raising her hands in front of her to show that she'd meant no harm.

"Alright," Stephanie said, "That's fine – we don't have to talk."

"That's good," Caroline huffed, "Because I'm not. Going to talk about it, that is." She turned around and walked into the bathroom to freshen up and Steph apologized for not having any clothes the girl could borrow.

"It's fine," Caroline assured her.

They made their way down to the kitchen so Caroline could eat and stave off the cravings, and have a bit of blood too. The two vampires sat down at the table in silence as they sipped from their cups and Caroline nibbled on her piece of toast.

Stephanie straightened her blue shirt and gray-green jacket, pulling both down a little over her blue jeans. Her boot clad feet rested a few inches from the ground, as Steph's legs weren't quite long enough to reach the floor from her perch on the kitchen chair.

Caroline froze for a moment, the piece of toast in her hand hovering close to her lips and her azure eyes widening. Stephanie paused and her eyebrows furrowed towards her friend.

"What is it, Care?"

"I'd forgotten, but there's some stuff I should tell you about Katherine," Caroline admitted, "Probably a lot sooner too, but I was just so anxious last night, and the thing with my mom, and Mason shooting you guys-"

"What is it?" Stephanie repeated, leaning closer to Caroline.

Caroline trapped her bottom lip between her teeth and looked nervously towards the stairs. She swung her head back to Steph and leant in close, "I found some stuff about Katherine. First of all, she's immune to Vervain now."

"What?" Stephanie asked, green eyes widening in shock. She shook her head, "That's not possible, Care, not at all."

"But it is," Caroline said urgently, "She's been drinking a little bit of Vervain every day for the last one hundred years – making her insusceptible to its affects."

Stephanie sat back shocked and said nothing as Damon came down the steps and into the kitchen, helping himself to some of the food still in on the oven.

He looked over at the two girls and teasingly asked, "Who died?"

When no one answered, Damon's face stilled. "Did someone really die?"

"No," Stephanie laughed humorlessly, "But Katherine's got a new trick up her sleeve."

"And what's that?" Damon asked suspiciously.

"She kind of made herself immune to Vervain by ingesting a little every day for a hundred years," Caroline replied meekly.

Damon left the kitchen and the girls heard a few crashes and several expletives before he returned.

"Better?" Caroline asked innocently.

Damon glowered at her, "Why didn't you say something sooner, Barbie? If it was in fact you that knew all about this."

"Lay off, Damon," Stephanie murmured quietly, "Yesterday was a bad day for everyone."

Damon opened his mouth to reply scathingly when the doorbell rang and Jeremy stepped over the threshold.

"Hey, everybody! I've got news about Tyler!" He arrived in the kitchen and took in the somber mood, "Oh no. What's wrong now?"

Damon smiled tightly and Caroline sighed, sinking into her seat. "Do I have to explain this again?"

"Explain what?" Jeremy asked, confused.

"Later," Damon waved a hand, "Tell us what you've got on Mason's Mini-Me."

Jeremy narrowed his eyes, but explained, "Tyler has to kill someone to activate the curse; he's not a werewolf yet, not like Mason. Mason's looking for a moonstone – which is a special rock connected to the werewolf legends and that's why he's here in Mystic Falls."

"Moonstone," Damon murmured, "Elena mentioned something about that."

Jeremy smirked, "I know where it is. Tyler showed it to me yesterday."

Damon pursed his lips, "Good work, Lassie."

"That's great," Stephanie said.

Caroline nodded, but wasn't too interested in Tyler at the moment, "I'm going to leave you guys to it. I'm going to take some breakfast to my mom." The young vampire excused herself and Steph watched her leave with a sad expression.

Jeremy walked over to Steph and put an arm around her shoulder, and Steph leant into his body heat.

"I'm going to call Rick," Damon said, winking at the lovers, making Jeremy flush indignantly. He stepped out of the hall and into the living room.

"Where's Elena?" Stephanie asked Jeremy, looking up at his face.

"She's helping set up for the Masquerade Ball," Jeremy explained, "And I thought Damon was helping out too?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes and took Jeremy's hand into hers and led him into the living room, "He probably was, but most definitely won't now. He's like a bloodhound when trying to solve a mystery – he'll be worried about this moonstone until it's safe in his hands or hidden away where no one else can find it."

Jeremy laughed and swung their hands a little in between them until they settled onto one of the couches and waited for Alaric to show up.

"So, tell me about what's got you guys in a fuss?" Jeremy asked, and Stephanie explained the ordeal with Katherine and the Vervain. Jeremy frowned pensively.

Damon flittered around as he arrived back from his room and simultaneously watched and annoyed his baby sister and her boyfriend.

Just to irritate Damon, Jeremy kissed the juncture between Steph's neck and shoulder, making the girl shiver. He let his lips wander upwards until they met Stephanie's, and her hands found their way into Jeremy's shoulders. His hands wandered to her hips and clasped them with his fingers. When Jeremy heard a throat clearing, he smiled into Stephanie's mouth and the girl laughed softly.

"No PDA in the house," Damon barked.

"But you-"

"The rules don't apply to me," Damon said haughtily, glaring at Steph and Jeremy.

Steph let one of her eyebrows rise. "And who exactly makes these rules?"

"Me," Damon replied smugly, "That's why I don't have to follow them."

Stephanie opened her mouth but the door opened and closed, and Alaric appeared with a box in his hands. Jeremy and Stephanie separated and the former jumped up.

"Rick," Damon greeted.

Alaric glared halfheartedly at Jeremy, "What are you doing here?"

"Helping; like I usually do," Jeremy said, "and I'm the one who found the moonstone anyway."

Stephanie's hand sought out Jeremy's, and lithe fingers intertwined themselves together.

"What do you have?" Damon broke the silence and walked over to the box Alaric sat down on an end table.

"Wait," Stephanie interrupted, "Shouldn't we call Elena? She should probably be here; I know she'd certainly want to."

Damon waved a hand, "She's busy with the Masquerade set up with Witchy. I'll fill her in later. Rick, tell us what you have there."

"It's Isobel's research from Duke," Alaric explained, "Her assistant sent it to me."

"Ah, Vanessa the Hottie," Damon sighed nostalgically, and Stephanie raised her eyebrows.

"Does Elena know about your little crush?"

"What crush?" Damon asked, waving a hand, "Pfft, it was harmless flirting and Elena was there."

"That's even worse," Stephanie said wryly.

"Right," Alaric changed the subject and addressed Damon, "You remember the Aztec Curse she told us about?"

"Yeah, yeah, sun and the moon, vampires bound to the night, werewolves having to change only on the full moon, yada, yada," Damon blithely waved a hand, "Shaman curses and all."

"According to the legend, the werewolf part of the curse is sealed with a moonstone," Alaric revealed.

Stephanie pursed her lips, "So Mason wants to break the curse by destroying the seal?"

"Wait, what do you mean, seal?" Jeremy interrupted.

"It's a witch thing; whatever is used to the seal the curse can be used to unseal the curse," Damon explained.

"Mason thinks he can use the moonstone to break the curse," Alaric said, and then looked at Stephanie, "But I don't think he can destroy the moonstone – it would probably just cement the curse forever."

"If we start believing in some witchy-woo-woo from picture books, we're idiots," Damon said blithely as he started to pace, "Now, you said that Tyler has the moonstone now," He turned to Jeremy, "Can you get it?"

"Yeah," Jeremy said briskly, "Of course."

Damon spread his hands and drawled, "Now your life has a purpose behind making out with my sister."

"Dick," Jeremy said half-heartedly, "So you do believe it?"

"Lap dog," Damon shot back smirking, "And since this is the same book that said a werewolf bite can kill a vampire, ignoring it would make me an even bigger idiot. Go. Shoo, now."

Jeremy rolled his eyes and kissed Steph quickly before leaving the Boarding House. Damon, Stephanie, and Alaric were left to themselves.

"I think I'll go over to the Lockwood's," Stephanie said, standing, "I can help Elena and fill her in at the same time. You two won't cause too many problems by yourselves, will you?" She eyed her brother with well-placed suspicion. Damon clapped a hand over his heart.

"Your distrust wounds me," He drawled, and dodged a smack aimed for the back of his head.

.

.

.

At the Lockwood property Stephanie was put to work quickly, and she set out to start helping. She kept an eye out for Elena and texted her, letting the other girl know she was there.

The scent hit her first, and so when Stephanie looked up, the sight of Mason Lockwood wasn't a shock. He was carrying a plastic crate of clothing and towels, and was clearly surprised to see Steph up and about. She smirked at him, waving a little as she wiped out a wine flute.

"Hey, Stephanie," Mason greeted with a tilted head.

"Hey, Mason."

Mason set down his crate and turned to Steph, hands placed nervously on his hips. "I wasn't expecting you here. Or anywhere, really."

"I had this little accident," Stephanie said vaguely and let the corner of her mouth slide up into a half grin, "But I'm fine now."

Mason walked towards Stephanie and he stood so close to the vampire that he towered over her. "Where's Sheriff Forbes?"

"Oh, she's fine too," Steph said, undaunted by Mason's height or proximity, "But you're going to have to do your own dirty work from now on, okay?" She squinted up at the werewolf.

"Noted," Mason said and turned around with a wary smile on his face. Stephanie saw Bonnie round the side of a large fixture and run into Mason's shoulder. Their hands brushed.

"Oh," Bonnie said.

"Sorry, my bad," Mason excused himself, but Bonnie watched him walk away, her face contemplative. Stephanie walked around the table she was standing at washing glasses, and went to Bonnie's side.

"What's the matter, you okay?" Stephanie asked warily.

"It's fine, it's just that when I touched him . . . I saw something," Bonnie said, shaking her head. Steph saw no malice in her eyes as Bonnie spoke with Stephanie.

"What, like a vision or something?" Steph asked carefully.

"I saw Elena," Bonnie said, her expression confused.

"You saw Elena," Stephanie repeated and her arms crossed, "Doing what?"

"In bed with Mason. Kissing," Bonnie said.

Stephanie shook her head in denial, "No, Bonnie, Elena wouldn't kiss . . . Mason." Steph trailed off and her head cleared. "No, you didn't see Elena. You saw Katherine." Stephanie set her lips firmly and pulled out her cell phone and texted Damon.

.

.

.

Elena stood watching across the yard at a frowning Stephanie and a pensive Bonnie. Damon walked up and stood at Elena's shoulder, startling her.

"Damon!" She whirled around.

"Elena!" Damon waved his arms in an imitation of Elena.

Elena laughed a little and smacked Damon's shoulder playfully ,"What are you doing? You were supposed to be here hours ago."

"Got sidetracked. Did Stephanie tell you what happened?" Damon asked as his arm snaked around Elena's waist.

She bit her lip, "Yeah, she texted me, but we haven't talked. Steph's over there with Bonnie right now. You know what's that's about? I may have tried to get Bonnie to warm up to her and Caroline today, but I'm not hopeful enough to think that they're all settling their differences right now."

"Steph texted me and said that Witchy accidently touched our boy Mason and had a vision of him and Katherine doing the dirty," Damon said, wiggling his eyebrows half-heartedly.

"What?" Elena's eyebrows furrowed, "How did they even meet?"

"Don't know, trying to find out," Damon said and kissed Elena quickly, "Going right now."

"I'll come with you," Elena said.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Damon protested, "Katherine could be around somewhere."

"So?" Elena asked as one of her hands perched onto her hip.

"She's a bitch and wants to kill you, that's why," Damon said, "I'll tell you everything after."

Elena shook her head vigorously, "No, Damon."

"Fine; I'll text you while we're doing stuff, okay? Bye," Damon kissed her again and ducked down towards his little sister and their neighborhood witch.

When Damon was all caught up and he'd texted Elena all of the new information, he and Stephanie paced together under one of the wooden shelters on the property.

.

.

.

"Katherine with Mason?" Damon asked incredulously.

"It makes sense," Steph rationalized, "He got into town just after she did."

"I know, but Mason Lockwood?" Damon repeated, turning to face Stephanie, arms spread in frustration, "Werewolf thing aside, the guy's a surfer."

Stephanie shrugged.

"She's got to be using him," Damon said, "She has to be."

"Using him for what, exactly?" Stephanie asked, not taken with the idea.

"Mason Lockwood's looking for the moonstone that allegedly can break the full moon werewolf curse. Maybe Katherine wants it as well," Damon speculated.

"Why?" Steph pursed her lips.

"Well . . . No idea," Damon admitted, and returned to pacing. "That's the beauty of Katherine," He mused, "She's always up to something."

"Have you heard from Jeremy? Has he found the moonstone yet?" Stephanie asked Damon.

"Not that I know of . . . wait a second. I hear your boy toy," Damon muttered and pointed. Steph turned her head and focused her hearing on Jeremy and Tyler in time to find out the other boy had already given the 'stone to his uncle.

Stephanie and Damon exchanged looks.

.

.

.

"Okay, okay, this is as far as I go," Bonnie said from in between Stephanie and Damon as they led her away from most of the people. Damon's phone beeped, and he slipped it out of his pocket to text back.

"What do you want?" Bonnie asked, lips set into a firm line.

"A favor," Damon said to her.

"Like hell that's going to happen," Bonnie replied flatly.

"You are so predictable," Damon told her, "And that's why I brought her." He tilted his head to Steph and his phone went off again. "Damn it, Elena," He muttered and walked off, leaving Stephanie and Bonnie to their selves.

"I know how you feel about helping us out – I might have felt the same if I were in your shoes," Steph started, "But sense you were the one to link Mason to Katherine, we finally have an opportunity to get the upper hand on both of them. So, just hear us out." She looked at the witch hopefully.

"I'm listening," Bonnie said.

"We need you to touch Mason Lockwood again and try and see if he gave the moonstone to Katherine," Stephanie explained.

"My visions don't work like that, Stephanie," Bonnie said, "I don't get to ask questions."

Steph took a deep breath, and asked, "Could you just please try?" An idea formed in her mind a second later, "Wait. You know that spell that makes vampires' heads burst with migraines."

"Yeah," Bonnie replied warily.

"Is it vampire specific?" Stephanie asked as her green eyes flashed with an idea.

"No, I'm not going to help you hurt him," Bonnie said, immediately seeing where Stephanie was going.

"Mason's a werewolf," Damon interrupted as he came back, "He turns on the full moon and eats people; they're the bad guys. Really? You're going to play morality police with me right now? Let me put it this way – he's a threat to Elena, who you and I both care about. So you, witch, are going to get off of your high horse and help us."

"He means that as a question," Stephanie interjected, "With a 'please,' tacked on at the end."

"Absolutely," Damon deadpanned.

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.

.

Stephanie and Damon hovered by unseen, while Bonnie tricked and then downed Mason by a large moving truck. Steph helped Damon shove the werewolf into the backseat and watched as her brother and Bonnie climbed into the truck.

"I'll stay here and keep an eye on Elena," Stephanie promised, and Damon nodded to her. "Text me if you get a lead on the moonstone," She added.

"Can do," Damon nodded and quickly drove off in Mason's truck. Steph watched them go, and then went in search for Elena and or Jeremy both.

.

.

.

Damon and Bonnie got Mason into the Boarding House and in a chair in one of downstairs rooms. The witch retrieved Mason's bag, and tossed it on the ground close to the vampire.

"Here's his bag," She said, "as requested."

"Grab that corner," Damon commanded, pointing towards one end of the throw rug that sat on the ground, on top of the hard wood floor.

"Why are we doing this?" Bonnie asked as they rolled it up.

"I don't want to stain the carpet," Damon said wryly.

"I knew you were going to say something like that," Bonnie moaned, but helped him nonetheless. Damon hauled the carpet up and set it against the far wall.

"You're judging again," Damon drawled. He and Bonnie threw a sheet on the ground so that it covered the floor and then Damon moved Mason's chair so that it sat on it. "Whoa," He said when he opened Mason's bag of tricks, "Looks like this guy's used to be tied up. That's pretty kinky." He pulled out some chains and started to tie Mason to the chair. Bonnie held Mason's hand in hers with her eyes closed tightly.

"What are you doing?" Damon asked.

"You're looking for a moonstone and I'm trying to help you find it," Bonnie said.

"Good," Damon replied quickly, "Find out if he gave it to Katherine, and find out where she is, and find out what he wants to do with it."

Bonnie rolled her eyes beneath her lids. "It's somewhere small . . . dark . . . there's water."

"Like a sewer?" Damon asked as he straightened up.

"No. Like a . . . well?" Bonnie frowned, "That can't be right. Yeah. It's a well."

"Why would it be in a well?" Damon asked, confused.

"I told you, I only get what I get," Bonnie told him as she let go of Mason's hand. Mason's arm shot out towards the witch and he grabbed her, making her shriek. Damon quickly handled the situation and Bonnie called out as she ran off, "That's it! That's all I've got!"

"Hey, Judgy," Damon called and Bonnie paused, "Thanks."

She nodded and scrammed. Damon vaguely heard her run into Caroline and the two girls left together. His phone beeped a second later, and Damon looked to see it. He smiled and forwarded it to Stephanie, so she could go get the moonstone.

"Alright, wake up, wolf boy," Damon said loudly.

.

.

.

Stephanie got the text several minutes after she'd found Elena and Jeremy.

"Damon and Bonnie found out where the moonstone is," She announced allowed and slipped her iPhone back into her pocket.

"Alright," Jeremy cheered.

"Where's Damon now?" Elena asked, worriedly.

Stephanie looked up at the taller girl and said carefully, "He's with Mason."

"And what are he and Mason doing?" Elena asked, folding her arms across her chest. Her brown eyes focused on Stephanie intently, and though not fixated on him, Jeremy shifted his feet, uncomfortable with the intensity of the stare.

Steph admitted, "He's probably going to kill Mason."

Elena ran a hand through her hair and asked, "You two going to be okay with getting the moonstone by yourselves?"

"Why? What are you doing?" Stephanie asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm going to find Damon," Elena said grimly and turned around. Steph made to follow her, but Jeremy put a hand on her arm and shook his head.

"Just leave her alone," Jeremy said, "She'll do what she thinks is right. Now, come on. We have a moonstone to find." He and Stephanie clasped hands and Steph led him into the forest where she and Damon had been shot not long ago.

They found the well relatively quickly, and Stephanie broke the old lock on it easily enough. Jeremy was impressed with the show of strength, and he smiled at his girlfriend.

"Hot and strong," He teased, "Sexy."

Stephanie rolled her eyes and swung her legs up onto the side of the well and sat on the edge for a minute as she gauged the height of the fall.

"Afraid of a bit of water?" Jeremy teased her again.

"I'll show you 'afraid of a bit of water,'" Stephanie said and jumped into the well, landing with a splash at the bottom.

Almost immediately, Steph knew something was wrong. The water went up to her chest and was burning her skin, blistering it until it bled red.

"Jeremy!" Stephanie yelled shrilly.

"Stephanie? Steph, what's wrong?" Jeremy shouted back.

"Jeremy!" Stephanie screamed.

"What's happening?" Jeremy asked.

"Vervain!" Steph choked, crying as the vervain filled water splashed around her. Her skin was blistering at an alarming rate, and the pain was nothing Stephanie had ever felt before. Black spots danced across her vision and Jeremy's frantic calls faded into background noise. A feminine voice joined Jeremy's, but Stephanie could barely recognize her own name at the moment, let alone the newcomer's.

Blinded with agonizing torment, Stephanie didn't feel time pass or when someone else hopped into the well until they took her into their arms. The feel of fabric and large hands on her body, brushing against her blistered skin made Stephanie scream. The person murmured soothing words to her, but she could hear the distress in their voice.

Steph was weightless for several seconds.

Then her eyes were forced open and she saw blinding light filter through the tree tops. Two figures hovered over her, arguing until a wrist was gently brought to Stephanie's lips. She didn't have the strength to move, but shuddered as her mouth was forced open. Blood dripped into her mouth and someone rubbed her burned throat to make her swallow the liquid.

Stephanie blinked her eyes open again, unaware of when they'd fallen shut for the second time. Jeremy was sitting next to her on her left, Caroline on her right.

"The – the mo-moon-" Stephanie choked on her words, unable to get them to leave her vocal cords.

"We've got it," Jeremy's voice was soft, soothing, and warm, "Don't worry about it." His hair was dripping, along with his clothes, which hung on his frame.

Caroline was frazzled, "Don't you ever worry us like that again, Stephanie Salvatore!"

Bonnie popped into Steph's line of vision, and the vampire saw that her brow was furrowed with anxious worry. "Are you alright?"

"Of course she's not," Jeremy shot at her, his voice dramatically changing from the warm timber it'd been when talking to Steph, "She was just soaked in a well of vervain."

"Of course," Bonnie murmured.

"D-Damon?" Stephanie got out.

"We haven't heard from him or Elena," Jeremy said, "But don't worry about them either, I'm sure they're okay. I'm going to lift you, alright?" He waited until Stephanie nodded. Pain burned the back of her neck. "It's going to hurt," Jeremy warned and then picked her up.

Stephanie gasped as Jeremy touched the burns and as the fabric of her clothing rubbed against her skin. Caroline flittered around, anxious and wanting to help, and Bonnie stood close to her, unsure of what she should be doing.

"Let's go," Jeremy said.

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.

.

Jeremy kept his arms securely wrapped around his girlfriend's small frame as Caroline opened the front door of the Boarding House and stepped through. Bonnie had left them earlier, and headed towards her own home and to her father.

"I'm going to check on my mom," Caroline said, but Jeremy saw her gaze flick to their friend in Jeremy's arms. He unconsciously pulled her closer.

"Alright," Jeremy said. He watched as Caroline went down the basement, subdued, and then Jeremy walked into the living room. Inside there, it looked as though some furniture had been rearranged and then put back to their approximate places. Elena and Damon sat on one of the couches in front of the fire, snuggled together.

Elena turned her head and then she gasped, hands flying to cover her mouth. Damon titled his head back and Jeremy saw his expression harden – his eyes could have frozen the Nile.

"What the hell happened?" Damon demanded.

Jeremy let Damon take his sister easily enough and then went to sit next to his own, pulling out the moonstone and giving it to her.

"The stone was in the bottom of the well – which turned out to be filled with water laced full of Vervain," Jeremy said somberly. He looked at Steph and saw what Damon and Elena were just seeing for the first time – what appeared to be second and third degree burns all over Stephanie's body. Her skin was still bright red with blisters, but Jeremy knew that she was already much better than when she'd been first pulled out of the well.

Damon set her on the couch and Stephanie stirred again, for the first time in a few minutes. "Damon? Jeremy?"

"Right here," Damon's voice always unconsciously softened when talking to her, Jeremy had noticed.  
"Lassie, go get me some blood."

"Of course," Jeremy said, and Elena followed him out.

"She looks horrible," Elena whispered.

"Well, it's actually better now," Jeremy said grimly. They picked up a couple of blood bags and headed back to the living room, "What happened with Mason?" Jeremy tried to distract himself.

Elena's lips thinned into a straight line, "Damon tortured him for information and then killed him. If I hadn't been there, he'd have left his body sitting in the living room, rolled up in a sheet. I'd be more upset that he's dead, but Mason tried to kill Damon and Steph first."

Jeremy did a double take at his sister – that didn't sound like her at all. His surprise must have shown on his face, because Elena closed up after her admission.

"Here," Jeremy handed the blood to Damon, who was sitting next to Stephanie. She'd sat up in their absence, and more of the burns had faded.

"Thanks," She murmured.

They sat in silence for several minutes, until Damon pulled out a cell phone that was unfamiliar to Jeremy.

"Who's is that?" He asked frowning.

"Mason's," Damon smirked. He flipped it open and said, "Oh, look, it's the last known call. I wonder who that was."

"Damon, don't," Stephanie said next to him, "If it's Katherine, you'll just antagonize her."

"Oh, please, it'll be fine," Damon said, but the smile had faded a little.

"Damon," Stephanie said more firmly.

He dialed her anyway and hopped out of Stephanie's temporarily limited range.

Katherine's lilting voices drifted from the speaker, "Mason, you should have been here an hour ago."

"Wrong boy toy," Damon teased.

"Damon," Katherine said flatly, "For once, you've surprised me. Is Mason with you?"

"Nah, he's in his truck out in the woods," Damon said easily.

"Why do you have his phone, then?" Katherine drawled.

"Well, while Mason's out in the woods, his heart's lying in the fireplace," Damon said.

"You shouldn't have," Katherine said coolly.

"I've had a very busy day," Damon blithely continued, "Killed a werewolf, found the moonstone. Hey, did you know that he hid the stone in the bottom of a well filled with Vervain? He sure didn't trust you very much. Although he loved you, poor guy. Hey, where are you? I can go get his body and bring him over."

"You have no idea what you've just done," Katherine said flatly.

Elena and Jeremy tensed on the couch next to each other, and Stephanie looked over at Damon sharply.

"Aw, did I put a kink in your master plan?" Damon teased.

"Do you really think that I don't have a plan B? Or a C? D? E? Well, you know how the alphabet works, don't you, Damon? Love you," Katherine ended the connection and the room lapsed into silence.

Stephanie stood in still shaky legs and crossed the room, smacking Damon's shoulder. "You idiot," She said, "Do you honestly think she's not going to retaliate now?"

Damon shrugged uncomfortably.

"Hey," Elena interrupted, "It's done. Damon, will you take me home? Please?" Stephanie looked over at her friend and noticed she was distracted and fidgeting.

"Sure," Damon said, and then looked at Steph, "You'll be okay with just Lassie here? And you'd better be thanking me for not making any Lassie and saving Timmy from wells, jokes."

Steph sighed at her brother's sense of humor, but nodded at him, "We'll be fine."

Elena said her good-byes and left with Damon, leaving Stephanie and Jeremy alone in front of the fire. It was quiet for a moment, and then Jeremy asked, "How are you doing?"

"Fine," Steph said.

"Uh huh," Jeremy said skeptically.

"What?" Stephanie asked, aggravated, "This stuff happens all the time." Jeremy looked like he'd protest if it wasn't such a true statement. "Let's go up to my room," Steph suggested.

They walked up the stairs and Jeremy hovered, which would be driving Stephanie up the wall if it weren't so endearing. Steph curled up on Jeremy's chest as they lay in her bed.

.

.

.

Hours later Jeremy's cell phone rang, and he answered it.

"What's going on, Elena?"

"It's Aunt Jenna – Katherine compelled her to kill herself. It didn't work but Jenna's in the hospital," Elena said tearfully.

Jeremy's throated closed up and he choked out, "What? Is she going to be okay?"

"The doctors said she would, but I'd like it if you were here," Elena admitted, "Please, Jere."

"I'm coming," Jeremy said immediately and hung up, easing Stephanie off of him.

"Jeremy?" She asked sleepily, "What's going on?"

"Katherine somehow compelled Jenna to attempt suicide," Jeremy said grimly, "Elena called to tell me that she wants me at the hospital." He tried to discreetly wipe at his eyes, but Stephanie caught his hand.

"I'm coming with you," She said.

"Okay," Jeremy nodded, "Alright."

.

.

.

By the time they'd gotten to the hospital Elena was already in their Aunt Jenna's hospital room, but Damon was nowhere to be found.

"Where'd Damon?" Stephanie asked Elena after she hugged her tightly.

Elena wiped her tearful eyes and her gaze dropped to the floor, "It's because of Damon and I that Katherine tried to kill Jenna. Jeremy could be next – or Caroline, Bonnie, Matt, or Tyler." She looked back up to Stephanie's face fiercely, "I couldn't let that happen. I love him, but . . . but we can't risk everyone else's lives for our happiness. So I broke it off with him."

Feeling like an anvil had taken up residence in her stomach, Stephanie nodded like she understood and excused herself from the hospital room, bypassing Jeremy completely and went in search of her brother.

She looked at Grill and the Boarding House, the Lockwood Property and Fell's Church, but didn't find Damon. Stephanie felt a horrible sense of foreboding deep in her bones as she wandered Mystic Falls, hoping for any sight of her brother.

She found him in the middle of the road with a bottle of bourbon in one hand and broken cell phone in the other. Stephanie walked to prone body and slowly sat next to him, and then laid down, stretching her body's length to match Damon's.

He took another swig of the nearly empty bottle and then offered it to Stephanie. She gripped the neck of the bourbon and took a small sip, swallowing despite the burn in the back of her throat. Steph kept the bottle on her other side, away from Damon's outstretched hands.

"I think you've had enough," Stephanie murmured.

"I'll have had enough when this turns out to be a sick dream," Damon drawled drunkenly. His eyes rolled towards Steph. "You know, I don't know what's worse."

"What?"

"Being dumped by Elena because of Katherine, or being this upset that she dumped me," Damon said flatly.

Stephanie pursed her lips and took a swig of Damon's bourbon.

"It's okay to be pissed," Steph finally said, turning to look at him, "You love her. And she loves you too."

"I ruined everything," Damon lamented.

"Yeah," Stephanie agreed somberly, "But we can fix it."

"Yeah?"

"We'll kill Katherine," Stephanie said simply.

Damon was silent for several seconds, and then burst into hysterical, giggly laughter. "You make it sound so easy," He muttered.

"Yeah," Steph agreed, "but we'll do it. Bonnie and Alaric will help. Maybe Jeremy too. But we'll kill that conniving bitch, Damon, I swear."

Damon turned silent again, "Okay."

"Okay?" Stephanie asked.

"Okay," Damon decided.

.

.

.

tbc


	10. show me your teeth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not."  
> ― André Gide, Autumn Leaves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer; I do not own the vampire diaries or any quotes used/altered in this fiction. 
> 
> Also, this chapter has a lot going on, so try not to get confused – some parts are separated out more like scenes in this one, mostly the Masquerade ball part.

The week following Mason's death and Damon's subsequent break up with Elena, Stephanie and Damon plotted for a way to get Katherine out of the game. Stephanie brought in Bonnie, whose animosity towards the vampire has distilled a bit, and Damon got Alaric to agree to help. Caroline had become on board immediately following her mother's return to their own house.

They'd planned and thought out different scenarios to get rid of Katherine but there were always holes in the plots.

Within the week, Stephanie felt Elena and Jeremy's keen absences in their lives. She missed Jeremy's reassuring presence; the way his hand would slid into hers, his easy smile, and his dependable heartbeat. He'd not answered any of Stephanie calls or texts that she'd sent for the last six days, but the vampire had forgone the idea of going to the Gilbert house; Jenna was up and on the right track to recovering, but Steph knew that Elena wouldn't be happy to see the causes of her aunt's injury so soon after the accident.

* * *

Caroline straightened her shirt and fidgeted, twisting her fingers together. She walked up the paved drive way and noticing the car parked there, strode to the front door. Caroline knocked heavily to make sure that the wrapping was heard throughout the house.

She used her enhanced hearing and caught the light steps of Elena walking towards the door. Care heard the click of a deadbolt unlocking and saw the heavy wooden door open halfway; exposing the dark headed Elena standing on the threshold.

"Caroline," Elena was surprised to see her, Caroline noticed, but was happy; so far, so good.

"Elena," Caroline smiled wide, "How's Jenna doing?"

Elena gave a half smile and said, "Better, thanks for asking, Care."

"Can I come inside?" Caroline asked casually, "I haven't really seen you all week."

Elena's smile flickered and she pursed her lips, "Yeah, well, I decided I was just going to stay around the house and take care of Jenna."

"Oh, yeah, that makes sense," Caroline said as Elena stepped aside to let the blond through. Caroline followed Elena into the living room. "But what doesn't is that I haven't seen Jeremy either. He's always over at the Boarding House you know, and I was there almost all this week."

Elena smiled tightly, "Well, Jere decided to stick close to home too."

"Oh?" Caroline examined her nails.

"Yes," Elena said.

Caroline let out a gusty sigh and sank onto the couch, resting her chin in her hands, "Oh, I've had enough of this covert ops thing. Look, Elena, how come Jeremy hasn't been over? Even if he was just worried, he could've at least called and said what was up."

"Look, Care," Elena came around and sat on Caroline's other side, "Jeremy-"

"Is right here," Caroline heard a masculine voice finish. She and Elena turned around and saw the teenager standing behind them and Care cursed herself for not focusing on her surroundings. "Elena, can we have a minute?" Elena left them alone reluctantly, and Jeremy took up the place next to Caroline that Elena had just vacated.

"Hey, Caroline," Jeremy greeted a little awkwardly. He rubbed his palms over his legs; probably wiping off the sweat she could smell, Caroline thought to herself.

"Skip the hellos," Caroline commanded huffily, "I want to know why you've been avoiding my best friend and making her mope around like a sad puppy. It's sad to watch and makes me depressed, and trust me, we don't need any more depressed vampires at the Boarding House; Damon's drinking them out of house and home already."

"Okay," Jeremy agreed and looked down. His eyes flicked up to Caroline's. "She's really moping?"

Caroline nodded, hoping for a reaction, but was disappointed when Jeremy just sighed. "Well?"

"I love Stephanie, but this Katherine thing is serious," Jeremy finally said, "And I think Elena's right about one thing – Katherine's out to make Steph and Damon miserable, and that includes killing people they love and their families. I think Steph and I just need a little break, until Katherine leaves."

"You jerk," Caroline accused, "You're scared? So what? You don't think I know how dangerous Katherine is? You think I'm not afraid of her? Well, I am. She had me spying on Elena and Damon – I know that's she's scary! But you don't see me hiding out in my house under the pretense of helping my poor, injured aunt," Caroline stood, "At least be a man about it and call Steph to tell her that you're breaking it off – otherwise you're just being a coward."

She stomped out of the house despite Jeremy's protests. Caroline would much rather go over to the Grill to see Matt, than sit and listen to Elena and Jeremy's excuses.

* * *

"What are you so deep in thought about?" Damon's dry voice called out across the living room. Stephanie was seated the couch straight across from the fireplace, her diary in one hand and a pen in the other. The plastic cap had bite marks from the amount of thoughtless chewing that had been imposed on it.

Stephanie put the pen inside her diary and set the book in the place next to her and looked up at Damon.

"Jeremy's not been around," Stephanie said quietly, wary of mentioning her musings to her older brother who was hurting much more than her, though he'd deny it to his last dying breath.

Damon held a glass of bourbon in his right hand, where his fingers were wrapped loosely around it. His daylight ring clinked against the cup absently.

"Who knew Lassie could be so disloyal?" Damon asked cruelly, the corner of his lip curling up into a sneer. Damon's blue eyes were a little foggy, drunk as he was; Stephanie's lips thinned but she said nothing, simply sighing.

The front door banged open and a blur of blond vampire flew into the living room. "Hey! Steph, Damon!"

The two siblings turned to look at Caroline, whose eyes were wide and chest was heaving.

"I saw Katherine," Caroline announced shakily.

"Where?" Stephanie demanded.

"At the Grill," Caroline admitted, "I just went to gawk and . . . quasi stalk Matt. He was totally rude and pretended that we hadn't dated– he asked if I wanted a table," Caroline moaned, "So I said, 'No, I need to use the little girls' room.'"

"Skip the teenage drama," Damon drawled as he walked over closer to the two girls. He took another sip of his bourbon.

"So then I had to pretend to go to the bathroom, even though I didn't really have to go because I'm a doofus. Then I saw Katherine, who I knew was Katherine because I knew that Elena was at the house with Jeremy. And she told me she wanted me to deliver a message," Caroline continued.

"What was the message?" Stephanie frowned thoughtfully.

"She said that she wants you to give her to moonstone," Caroline said, voice shaking, "or she'll rip the town apart until the sky rains blood. And she wants it tonight, at the Masquerade Ball."

"She wants to do this in public; killing Mason threw her off guard," Steph folded her arms across her chest.

"She's running scared," Damon corrected her, "What she did to Jenna was desperate; she's run out of tricks."

"We can't underestimate her," Stephanie warned.

"What does this change, really?" Damon asked the girls, "We were planning on getting her sometime soon anyway; now we have a definite time slot."

"We weren't planning to kill her in public, Damon," Stephanie nearly growled, "Everything needs to fixed."

"So we fix it," Damon said lazily, "I'll get Rick and Witchy to come over."

* * *

"So what are we going to do?" Jeremy's voice was seemingly loud in the kitchen. Elena ducked her head out the doorway to make sure Jenna wasn't listening.

"Make lunch," Elena said, pulling groceries out of paper bags.

Jeremy sighed, irritated, and clarified, "About Katherine."

"We're not going to do anything, Jeremy," Elena sighed as well and continued putting things up.

"She nearly killed Jenna and she's ripping our relationships apart," Jeremy argued quietly, "We can't let her get away with that. You heard Caroline."

"Caroline needs to mind her own business," Elena snapped, "And yes, we can; if it keeps us safe, we can."

Jeremy straightened up and crossed his arms over his chest. He stared at his older sister, and said, "What if she tries something else?"

"She won't; Katherine hurt Jenna because I didn't do what she said," Elena said defensively, "And you were right in what you told Caroline – Katherine's out to make Steph and Damon miserable, and she'll do whatever it takes to accomplish that. It just so happens to be killing us. She wins. The end."

"Well, I think I was wrong and," Jeremy scoffed, "You're being naïve and you know it." He grabbed his jacket and shrugged it on roughly over his shoulders.

"Where are you going?" Elena asked him.

"Out; I'll be back!"

* * *

"I got Damon's message," Bonnie said as a greeting to Caroline as the blond vampire opened the Boarding House's front door.

"Great," Caroline said unenthusiastically as she followed her friend into the living room, where Damon, Steph, and Alaric were already milling around. Damon and Alaric were standing over a table of weapons and talking quietly to themselves and Steph greeted Caroline and Bonnie with a worried frown and clasped hands.

"You're here," Steph said unnecessarily, "and you brought the grimoire, thanks."

"What's going on?" Bonnie asked as her eyebrows furrowed.

"We've decided when we're going to take Katherine out," Steph said.

Bonnie pursed her lips.

"It's tonight," Stephanie added awkwardly. Bonnie nodded and walked farther into the living space and saw Alaric demonstrate some arm thrusting motions with a new weapon that was clasped onto his wrist. He showed Damon how to use a large crossbow, hefting up.

Bonnie took hold of one of Stephanie's forearms and gently led her away from the entire hubbub.

"Listen, I know that you and Damon love Elena, and that you love Jeremy; we all do," Bonnie explained, "But when we discussed our plan, it never involved being in a public place. There are too many opportunities for innocents to get hurt."

"I know, Bonnie," Steph explained, "But it's more than that. What Katherine did to Jenna – that crossed a line. We have to stop her before it happens again."

A pained expression crossed Bonnie's face. "No, Stephanie."

"Look, Bonnie, look; Katherine – she knows me. She knows that I won't try anything in a crowded place for fear of lives being lost. So that can give us an edge – an element of surprise."

Bonnie bit her lip. "I've tried out some spells – I found this one that we've talked out before; it'll overwhelm her senses until she's so disoriented someone could snap her neck. That should keep her out long enough for one of you to put her in the tomb."

Steph nodded, encouraged. "Yes, that sounds brilliant, Bonnie."

"I've had the spell on it for a couple of days now," Bonnie admitted, "I wasn't sure when we were going to get a chance. But now any vampire that goes in cannot come out unless I remove the enchantment."

"It's perfect, Bonnie, thank you," Stephanie grinned, which Bonnie reluctantly returned.

They headed back down the hall to where the group was but a sound at the front door made Stephanie stumble in surprise.

"Steph?" Bonnie asked with surprise coloring her tone. Stephanie imagined that she'd never seen a vampire trip before in her life.

"Jeremy's here," Steph murmured quietly, "Excuse me." She walked over towards the door and only vaguely heard Bonnie go back to the living room with the others.

Steph opened the door to see Jeremy standing on the porch awkwardly, shuffling his feet. He shot her a quick grin that Stephanie didn't return. Jeremy's smile faded.

"Hey," He greeted.

"Hi Jeremy," Stephanie said, jawing working, "What do want?"

"Can we talk?" Jeremy asked.

"Sure," Stephanie said as she stepped out onto the porch with him, "What do you want to talk about?"

"Caroline came over today," Jeremy explained, "And kind of yelled some sense into me. I'm sorry for ignoring you all week. I could have at least called."

"Thanks," Stephanie said and welcomed Jeremy's hand as it slid around hers, twining their fingers.

"We're kind of getting rid of Katherine," She told him, and Jeremy blinked in shock.

"I'm in," He said without prompting. Steph grinned and led him into the living room and saw Caroline's smug look and Damon's suddenly dark one.

"Jeremy's decided to help out," Stephanie announced to the room.

"Great; Lassie's come home at last. We all missed you, for sure," Damon said mock sincerely.

"Right, are you guys sure you want me to stay at home for this?" Alaric asked, getting everyone back on track.

"Yes," Damon interjected, "Please do. Can't have Elena walking into trouble. Don't really want her to know about this, either."

"Okay," Alaric promised, "I make sure she doesn't leave my side."

"Alright," Stephanie announced, "If anyone wants to back out, please do so now."

"Right," Damon added, "Cold feet's a now. I don't want someone to chicken out when we're in the thick of things. Caroline." He's sharp blue eyes cut to the pretty blond vampire.

"I won't," Caroline swore with a smirk, "She killed me; fair's fair. Katherine deserves to rot in the tomb forever. As long as there are no werewolves running around."

Damon smirked unpleasantly, "Oh, I took care of Mason."

"As long as Tyler doesn't kill anyone, he won't turn," Jeremy added.

At Bonnie's uncertain look, Stephanie asked her, "Bonnie? You with us?"

After a few nervous undecided seconds, the witch nodded, "As long as no one gets hurt."

"Except Katherine," Damon interjected happily, "Tonight Katherine's going down."

* * *

Everyone got dressed for the big event, and Damon made his way over to his little sister's room before they headed out to the Masquerade Ball.

Damon was dressed in a black suit, unique to his own style, and donned a fedora and a black intricately designed eye mask. He opened the door to see Stephanie on her way out. She wore a tight black strapless dress that went down to her knees and a red mask that only covered the upper half of her face, much like his own. Her green eyes were as visible as ever.

"So. We ready to roll out for the evening?" Damon inquired lazily.

"Absolutely," Stephanie said swore. They left the Boarding House together, and Bonnie, Caroline, and Jeremy would be getting there on their own. Steph had filled Jeremy in on the plan quickly before he'd left back to the Gilbert house for the time being.

Damon and Stephanie arrived at the Ball and split up, as per required. He, of course, danced his way over to her again only thirty minutes later to harass Steph.

"See her?" He asked, nudging Steph in the ribs.

"Sure you can do this?" Stephanie asked shortly.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Damon drawled.

"I just . . . wanted to make sure you didn't have any residual feelings left over," Stephanie assured him.

"I'm not going to hesitate, if that's what you're thinking," Damon warned, "I love Elena. End of story."

"Alright, okay," Stephanie left Damon to her previous perch and went down to the dance floor to keep an eye out for Katherine.

* * *

Elena tended to Jenna, and Alaric kept a close eye on the teenage girl. He had situated himself into the kitchen so he had an easy vantage point. Elena and her aunt were just in the living room, sitting on the couch and eating pizza when things went sour.

Alaric heard Jenna mention that Jeremy had gone to the Masquerade Ball and nearly did a face palm. Elena stiffened, immediately suspicious, and excused herself into the kitchen.

Her face was set into a determined frown as she confronted Rick, "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Alaric denied.

"I haven't heard from anyone all day, and suddenly Jeremy's gone off to a Ball? He doesn't like that stuff unless Stephanie goes with him," Elena accused.

"Well, maybe he and Steph went to the Masquerade Ball together," Alaric suggested offhandedly, "It's not like that's wrong, is it? He probably needed a break; he's been cooped up in the house for a while now."

"It's not like that," Elena denied.

"I don't know what to tell you, Elena," Alaric shrugged. His phone vibrated on the counter top and Elena's hand went towards it. Rick intercepted and shoved the phone into his back pocket.

"So, you'll be okay if I just head out and meet up with everyone?" Elena suggested and started around the counter. Panic flashed through Alaric.

"Wait, wait," He hissed, trying to stop her.

"What are you hiding, Rick?" Elena demanded, eyes flashing.

"Damon asked me to keep an eye on you," Alaric admitted defeat, "Just in case Katherine showed up while he was at the party."

Elena's face fell and her voice sounded weedy as she asked, "So Damon's at the party too?"

"Since when has Damon passed up free alcohol?" Alaric tried weakly.

"Alaric," Elena protested, but Alaric looked at her seriously.

"Just . . . let this one go, okay Elena?" He pleaded.

* * *

Bonnie and Jeremy were teamed up to search for Katherine together. Both had their phones on so they could call Steph and Damon if they saw her, and they had sworn to call the siblings if they found her first.

They had stilted conversations between the two of them, and Bonnie was almost grateful for the weird vibe she got when she met the older woman. She could feel a fuzzy sort of interference, and it puzzled her to no end. When Jeremy asked, she brushed him saying it was nothing.

But the witch knew there was something off about that woman.

"Let's find Damon," Bonnie announced.

* * *

Damon spotted Katherine, though he didn't call anyone at first glance. They made their way to each through the crowd, where they met together.

"Dance with me," She demanded.

"No," Damon denied.

"Fine," Katherine sighed, "Then tell me who I should kill first. Him? He looks tasty." She picked up a chocolate strawberry from a passing tray and brought it her lips, eating it seductively.

"Well, since Steph will kill me in anyone gets hurt, I'll guess we can have one dance," Damon announced long suffering. Katherine smirked and grabbed his bicep, letting Damon lead her to the wide space being used as a dance floor.

They danced slowly together.

"Isn't it beautiful out tonight?" Katherine asked Damon.

He shrugged, "It's alright. I'd much rather be out here with my girlfriend than you, nothing personal." Damon's eyebrows wiggled, "Actually, take that personally. It would give me a lot of pleasure to see you offended."

"I heard that she dumped your ass," Katherine shot back smiling, "How is Jenna, by the way?"

"Great," Damon said flatly, "On her way to a full recovery."

"Damon," Katherine leant in close to his ear and breathily whispered to him, "Give me the moonstone."

"I don't think so," Damon whispered back unapologetically, "Well, see, I don't actually have the moonstone on me right now. We'll have to go together to get it."

"I have a better idea, Damon," Katherine announced.

"What's that?" He asked tightly.

"You go fetch it and I'll try to keep the killing to a minimum while you're gone. Tick tock," She grinned, letting Damon catch sight of her sheathed fangs.

Damon rolled his eyes at her dramatics, but then the human girl – Elena's friend Amy Bradley – appeared, looking for Mutt.

"Hey, have you guys seen Matt? Oh my gosh, Elena, your dress looks beautiful!" She gushed.

"I love your necklace," Katherine slipped into Elena's persona as easily as if trying on a pair of shoes, "Wait a moment, it looks twisted; let me help you." She slipped behind the girl and Damon grimaced as she snapped Amy's neck.

She looked back Damon and smirked, "Dead. Moonstone, if you please, Damon. Tick tock." Katherine spun around, leaving Damon with a dead body. He frowned at it.

"Where am I supposed to dump you?"

* * *

Jeremy had a small part of the plan, as well.

He got a text from Damon, and he left Bonnie's company to find Katherine. She was talking to the woman that Bonnie had bumped into earlier, which in the back of his, raised alarms.

"Elena," He greeted Katherine.

By her narrowed eyes, he knew that she knew that he realized who she really was.

"What is it, Jere?" Katherine asked concernedly.

"Can I talk to you for moment? Alone?" He eyed her company, and Katherine nodded for the woman to leave.

As soon as she was out of eye sight, Jeremy told Katherine, "I have a message from Damon."

"Oh?"

"He and Stephanie want you to meet them at the edge of the woods, by the lake. They brought the moonstone," He told her.

Katherine snorted, "And why did they make you their little messenger? I know that you and Steph are a thing – they must know that you're somewhere on my list."

Jeremy didn't let that bother him.

"They know that I'm not afraid of you," Jeremy said flatly.

"You Gilbert men; so courageous," Katherine laughed scornfully, "How is John, by the way? Were they able to sew his fingers back on all the way?"

Jeremy swallowed thickly as Katherine walked away. He pulled out his phone and texted Caroline – she was up next. He walked passed a bush and got pulled in.

"What the hell is going on?"

Elena.

* * *

Caroline was ready; she knew her part backwards and forwards. She'd seen Matt, and while Caroline admitted that had derailed her thoughts for bit, she was back on track now. She walked through the empty halls of the Lockwood mansion, hoping to lure Katherine out after her. A vice grip on her arm and then her neck told Caroline she'd succeeded.

"What are Damon and Stephanie planning?" Katherine hissed into Caroline's ear.

"I don't know!" Caroline shrieked, hopefully believably.

"You're lying!" Katherine said menacingly, "I've got Jeremy Gilbert luring me out to lake. What's. Going. On?"

"Okay, okay!" Caroline admitted as Katherine's grip tightened, "They're planning on killing you."

Katherine released her, believing the lie easily enough. "There. That wasn't too hard, was it? Now, where's the moonstone?"

"Bonnie has it," Caroline said quietly.

"Good. Where's Bonnie?"

"I don't know," Caroline said firmly.

Katherine smacked her, "Tell me where she is."

* * *

"You guys are trying to kill her here?" Elena demanded.

"We saw an opportunity and we're taking it," Jeremy explained, "And we're not killing her. Bonnie's got some tricks up her sleeves."

"Okay, stop with the we. Are you crazy?" Elena asked, "You'll get yourselves killed!"

"We know what we're doing, Elena," Jeremy said firmly.

"And how did am I supposed to feel if one of you guys gets hurt because of me?" Elena commanded.

"This isn't just about you anymore," Jeremy corrected sharply, "She's messed with all of us; she has to be stopped."

"Where's everyone else?" Elena asked.

Her brother replied quickly, "Bonnie's probably met up with Damon by now. Caroline will be luring Katherine into an unpopulated area, and Steph will be meeting them in a short bit."

Elena frowned, bit her lip. "What are you doing?"

"I was making Katherine suspicious on purpose," Jeremy grinned.

* * *

Stephanie sipped a glass of wine inconspicuously, keeping her gaze above the rim so she could search for Katherine's whereabouts. She set the glass down on a tray and smoothed down the imagined wrinkles in her dress anxiously. Her eyes flicked back up and though her high heeled stilettos gave her a little bit of an advantage that night, it wasn't enough to help her see over anyone's head.

"Looking for someone?" A warm accented voice breathed down Stephanie's neck and the vampire turned around, her brown ringlets swinging with the momentum. She blinked owlishly at the attractive man standing in front of her now.

"An old friend," Steph confirmed ambiguously.

The man's eyes were a clear blue that ran over Stephanie's figure, making her vaguely self-conscious. His blond hair was slicked back and he wore a glossy black tuxedo that accentuated his finely tuned body. His hands rested in the tux's jacket pockets casually, and he had a twinkle in his eyes as he looked down at Steph.

"Truly?" He asked idly, "What a coincidence; so am I."

Stephanie nodded her head, but her eyes narrowed on the man; he was familiar in an aloof way, though when Steph tried to touch upon the familiarity, the memory flitted away into some dark corner of her mind.

"Are you new to Mystic Falls?" Stephanie asked him, suspicious. Their little town was, well, really small. A young English man wouldn't have gone unnoticed for long.

"Oh, I grew up here when I was young. My family moved quite a while ago, but I like to come back and visit sometimes," The man gave Steph an easy grin that made her automatically return. "And you?"

"Similar story," Stephanie told the man. The night's mission and its importance were sliding away the longer she was in his presence. "I don't have a lot of family though; it's just me and my brother."

The man smiled again, "Older or younger?"

Stephanie's eyebrows rose, "That sounds like you have siblings too; he's older."

He nodded. "I have two older brothers and a younger sister and another younger brother. Quite the large family."

Stephanie felt impressed despite herself. "I bet your sister had a time when you all lived together."

"Oh, she held her own," The man's eyes twinkled, "She's a real vindictive gal if you get on her bad side; trust me, I'm there 80 percent of the time."

Steph smiled at that, but her phone started to vibrate in her pocket book and so he took it out reluctantly, suddenly reminded of her mission that evening. It was a text from Damon. FOUND HER. COME ON.

"Sorry, I have to go," Stephanie said, slipping her iPhone back into her purse apologetically.

"It's no problem, love," The man said, holding up his hands in a placating manner. "Duty calls, eh?"

Stephanie smiled at him thankfully, "Yeah. Something like that. It was nice meeting you . . ."

The man smiled broadly and took Stephanie's hand in her own and kissed it with all of the gentleness in the world. "You can call me Nik. I'll be seeing you, Stephanie."

The man, newly christened Nik, let go of Steph's hand and turned, disappearing into the crowd of people. It didn't occur to Stephanie to question that the stranger knew her name for quite a while.

In the meantime, she texted Damon to find out where she was heading. She found him and Bonnie at a distance from Katherine and Caroline, who were waiting in a room, seemingly impatient.

"The groups all here now, except her Lassie," Damon greeted, "Let's get the show on the road, Witchy."

"On it," Bonnie said seriously and walked a little closer, letting her hands rise as Latin words spilled forth from her lips. Katherine started to flinch and sway, her face scrunched up into a painful grimace.

"Go, Damon," Bonnie muttered.

Stephanie's phone rang shrilly, and she picked it up quickly, "Hello?"

"Stop, Stephanie, you have to tell Bonnie to stop! Elena's here, and somehow what you're doing to Katherine is affecting Elena!" Jeremy's worried voice shouted over the line and Stephanie felt fear build up in her stomach. Her eyes flashed to Damon's and saw that he'd heard.

He cursed.

"Bonnie, stop," He said, and then shouted at Caroline, "Get out of there, Caroline!" The blond vampire split immediately and the witch stopped her chanting. Katherine had fallen to the floor at some point, though she appeared to be recovering now.

"Let's regroup," Damon muttered to Steph, and she nodded, taking a hold of Bonnie's wrist.

"What happened?" Bonnie demanded when they were a sufficient enough way away to talk, "Why'd you stop me? Why didn't you snap her neck?"

"There's some spell connecting Katherine and Elena together," Stephanie explained angrily, "When you were overloading Katherine's senses, Jeremy called and said that the same thing was happening to Elena, who snuck out and is here, at the party."

"Alaric's getting fired," Damon muttered sourly to himself.

Bonnie's eyes flashed, and her lips thinned, "I know who's performing the spell. I saw her earlier, but I wasn't sure what she was; now I'm sure that she's a witch."

"Must be working for Katherine," Stephanie said, "So, what do we do? We can't let Katherine go run around now. She'll kill everyone."

"I have to find the witch, immediately," Bonnie said, "You guys are going to have to distract Katherine somehow."

"Oh goodie," Damon deadpanned.

Bonnie left the two vampires to it and went in search of that witch.

"What just happened?" Elena muttered quietly, letting her hand massage her forehead. She and Jeremy were seated in the grass behind their faithful bush.

"Something tied your life to Katherine's," Jeremy said grimly, "Bonnie's checking it out. Damon, Steph, and Caroline are keeping Katherine occupied until Bonnie can removed the spell."

Elena felt a deep foreboding in the depths of her soul.

While Jeremy was keeping Elena company, Bonnie searching for the mysterious witch, and the Salvatore siblings keeping Katherine busy, Caroline accidently stumbled upon a fight between Tyler and Matt in Tyler's father's office.

* * *

She could smell the alcohol down the hall and went to investigate when she found it tied to her ex and his friend. She found them fighting in the late Richard Lockwood's office, and there was a girl in there as well, who appeared horrified at the violence going on in front of her.

"What are you guys doing?" Caroline asked shrilly. She leapt into the fray to keep them from killing each other, and placed a hand on each of their heaving chests.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Tyler asked Matt loudly.

"Let me go!" Matt shouted at Caroline.

The bubbly blond vampire saw something unusual in Matt's eyes, and so she brought back her elbow and slammed into his face, knocking Matt out cold. She straightened her red dress and turned back to Tyler. Tyler stared at her, and Caroline ran to Matt's side, concerned.

"Matt? Matt," She hovered over him worriedly.

"How did you . . ." Tyler trailed off as he eyed Matt and Caroline.

In the back of her mind, Caroline heard him, along with the girl murmur, "Matt failed. If Matt fails, I have to . . ."

"Tyler look out!" Caroline screamed at him, and Tyler spun around and hit the girl, Sarah. Her body was flung into the desk, bashing her head against the wood.

"Oh no," Caroline murmured.

Sarah wouldn't wake up and Tyler started to melt down, "This can't be happening! Open your eyes, Sarah, open your eyes!"

Caroline knelt by the human girl's side and took her pulse.

"Tyler, Tyler, she's dead," Caroline murmured.

The boy started to groan and grunt, his hands ran through his hair and he fell to the ground.

"Tyler. Tyler. Tyler, what's happening?" Caroline asked, frightened by the display. But she knew what was wrong – Tyler's was a werewolf now.

* * *

Stephanie and Damon kept Katherine occupied by talking to her – getting the older vampire to talk about the moonstone and why she wanted it.

"Why do you want the moonstone back?" Stephanie asked Katherine, twirling a stake in her hands absently.

Katherine turned to her and tilted her head, and then faced Damon. "I love you a suit, you know that, Damon? So dashing."

"What were you doing with it in the first place?" Stephanie plowed on.

"You're wasting your breath, Stephanie," Damon drawled.

"Unless it wasn't yours to begin with," Steph realized aloud, "In 1864 you were faking your death. Who were you running from, Katherine?"

"In 1987, you were in a concert of all places, Stephanie, with that wench, Lexi. You two were in the front row," Katherine said, and the faced Damon, "In 1969 you were at Woodstock getting drunk and high with some sorority girls. Come on, Stephanie, Damon, don't look so surprised. Of course I checked on you guys over the years."

"Who were you running from?" Damon snapped. He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets.

Katherine just laughed, and then she sighed, "We're missing the party up here. Let's go check it out."

"Katherine," A voice said from the doorway of the empty room Steph and Damon had detained Katherine in. The three vampires turned and saw a woman holding the moonstone – and she definitely wasn't Bonnie. "When I hand this over, my debt to you is over. I'll owe you nothing."

"Good, done," Katherine said, "Now hand it over." She stuck her hand out for it.

"I wouldn't do that," Damon pointed at them.

The witch placed the moonstone into Katherine's palm, but the vampire started to choke.

"You should have told me another witch was involved. She's a Bennett witch, Katherine, but I'm sure you knew that."

Katherine fell to the floor, unconscious.

"Elena," Damon said clearly.

"Your girlfriend's fine," The witch waved a hand, "I removed the spell on her first. I put one on the moonstone after that – Bonnie told me about your little plan. Katherine's ready for transport now."

"Why did you help us?" Stephanie asked quietly.

"I owed Katherine my life, but . . . she's not exactly one you want to owe debts to. And Bonnie's kin," The witch said, "She deserved my help more than Katherine. She's with Elena and the boy Jeremy outside. I'm sorry for my involvement tonight." She left the room quickly, and so Damon and Stephanie hauled up Katherine's still body.

"Let's get her out of here," Damon muttered.

"Where's Caroline?" Stephanie asked suddenly.

Damon shrugged.

* * *

"They were all drunk and dancing and Sarah just tripped and hit her head on the desk here," Caroline explained to Tyler's mom, "Then she wasn't breathing."

Carol nodded worriedly, "Okay. Your mom's on her way, and I've called Sarah's parents. It was an accident, it was a terrible, tragic accident."

"Mom, the Sheriff's here," Tyler announced.

"Okay, just stay here and don't leave, I'll be right back. Your mother will want to hear the story from you," Carol said nervously, leaving Caroline and Tyler standing next to each other.

"Matt's in the car, sleeping it off," Caroline said to Tyler softly, "I'll deal with him; I don't want him involved in any of this."

"What are you doing?" Tyler turned to face Caroline.

"I'm fixing a very bad situation," Caroline explained.

"Why?" Tyler scoffed, " _I_ did this. _I_ killed her."

"No!" Caroline shook her head vehemently, "You didn't mean to, and I think it's best for everyone."

"She's dead!" Tyler said more firmly, "You don't know what that means."

"I do," Caroline corrected quietly, "Actually."

"No you don't, Caroline," Tyler shook his head at the girl.

"Has your wound healed?" Caroline raised an eyebrow, and the boy checked the bloody hole on his shoulder. The laceration was gone, leaving only blood behind. Tyler looked up at Caroline with wide eyes.

"How did you . . . ?" Tyler trailed off.

Caroline's eyes flashed to Tyler's.

* * *

Jeremy passed Bonnie by as the witch said good bye to the older one. He noticed the tears on her face.

"Hey, you okay? Do you want me to give you a ride home or something?" He asked her.

Bonnie sniffled and smiled a little through her tears, "When did you get your driver's license?"

"I'm not a kid anymore, Bonnie," Jeremy laughed a little. The stiffness of their conversations earlier seemed to have faded.

"A ride home seems good," Bonnie finally agreed, "But what about Steph?"

"She's hitching a ride with Damon, I think. They were putting Katherine's body in the tomb," Jeremy said.

"Alright," Bonnie agreed.

* * *

Klaus was a smart man.

He knew that Katherine had been at the party and now was inside the tomb beneath Fell's Church, and he knew that the human doppelgänger that he needed to free himself from his curse was up and about. He also knew that Stephanie Salvatore was in Mystic Falls.

So he sought her out.

The young vampire (by his standards, at any rate) was as beautiful as always. She had been wearing a slim black dress, along with a sparkly red mask that covered the top half of her face, leaving her dark red lips visible. Her oak leaf green eyes could be seen through the eye holes of the mask. Stephanie's light brown hair had been spilling onto her shoulders in tightly curled ringlets, framing her pale face.

Klaus relished the sight of his love.

If only she would remember him.

But that was his own fault, Klaus could acknowledge. He'd left her to keep her safe from Mikael in the 20s, though he'd kept an eye on her throughout the decades spent apart.

Klaus hated seeing her with the human boy, the biological cousin to his doppelgänger. However, he'd wait to kill him. He'd be patient.

Because it wasn't Stephanie and Klaus' time again. Not yet.

In the meantime, he'd have to leave the quaint little town, but he'd be back.

* * *

Stephanie got home by herself and slipped down onto the couch heavily. She looked over her now wrinkled black dress and her high heeled shoes still strapped on her feet. Steph took them off and shoved them under the couch so no one would trip, and then she spread out, pillowing her hands under her cheek as she closed her eyes.


	11. i swear i can feel the beating of a cold, cold heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'She speaks in a voice almost too low to be heard over the music. But I hear her – I always did. "'Who are you, George?"
> 
> "Someone you knew in another life, honey."'
> 
> ― Stephen King, 11/22/63

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or anything associated with it. I do not own any quotes used or modified in this story.
> 
> And if you didn't know, I'm on Fanficiton.net as well if you have an account over there.

Jeremy blinked awake and sighed heavily, instinctually knowing that he'd slept long and deep the night before. His left arm automatically reached out to feel for Stephanie, but the small vampire wasn't there and he remembered why; she'd gotten a ride with Damon and Jeremy had taken Bonnie home.

Tired of lying idly and knowing that he had to get up for school, Jeremy shoved the thick comforter off of his body and swung his legs over the side of the bed, stretching his arms up towards the ceiling. He hopped up and danced around his desk to avoid stubbing his toe and got dressed quickly.

Jeremy walked across the hall and banged on Elena's door, calling out to her, "Yo, 'Lena, get up." Frowning when she didn't answer, he walked back over to her door and pushed it open gently. The bed was made and there was no indication that his sister had slept in it at all, let alone been in her room since the previous day. Suspicious, Jeremy left the door open as he walked to the bathroom.

"Probably slept over with Damon," Jeremy muttered quietly.

.

.

.

Caroline sat in front of her mirror and she put the finalized touches on her hair, babbling quickly at Damon who stood leaning on her door jam.

"So Sarah attacks Tyler and he pushed her away and she tripped and hit her head on the hard wood floor," Caroline explained and turned around to face Damon.

The vampire in questions raised one of his eyebrows, "And does Matt remember anything?"

"Eh," Caroline said standing and turning her mirror again, fussing with her hair, "He thinks he blacked out, which is for the best. Do you want to know what I think, though? I think that both Sarah and Matt were compelled by Katherine." She walked away from the mirror and slipped over to her bedside and trifled through her things, worrying her lip before picking up the lipstick tube she wanted. "That's why I covered for Tyler last night."

Damon shook his head and raised his eyebrows incredulously at the blond vampire, "I don't understand that; the guy's a tool."

"Duh," Caroline said, applying the lipstick carefully, "Tyler getting blamed for Sarah's death raised questions that the boy can't answer. Do you really thing that it's a good idea for him to tell his mom that he's a werewolf?" She put the lipstick tube down and flittered over to her closet and frowned.

She reached out and grabbed a pair of pretty brown boots and set to slipping them on her feet.

"Well, no," Damon said, cocking his head.

"And that Werewolf Road, it leads straight to Vampire Boulevard," Caroline continued on, "I thought I was thinking fast on my feet." She straightened up and pulled a jacket off of her coat wrap that hung on her closet door.

"Where's your mom?" Damon asked frowning.

"Leading the search for Amy Bradley with her deputies and stuff," Caroline said distractedly, "Hey, why isn't Stephanie here this morning? Usually she's the one who I talk to about this stuff."

Damon wiggled his eyebrows, "Am I not good company for you? I've been told I'm amazing at giving clothes advice."

"Who told you that? Steph? She's lying," Caroline muttered.

Damon furrowed his brow suddenly and he shifted his weight on his feet, "Wait a minute. Did you see Tyler's eyes turn yellow?"

Caroline frowned in speculation, "Actually, they were more of a pretty amber-ish hue."

Damon groaned, "Ugh."

"Can he turn into a wolf now?" Caroline asked as her chattering slowing down for a minute.

"Only on the full moon," Damon said, "I wonder how much Mason told him," Then he asked idly, "Does he know about us? Hey – what'd you tell him?"

"Nothing," Caroline said defensively as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. Her eyes shifted nervously and Damon watched the girl carefully. "Really," Caroline continued as she put her phone back and started to gather her school things, "I don't think he knows much of anything. He seemed really freaked out, and honestly, I felt kind of bad for him." She put her bag onto her shoulder, hiking it up and brushed passed Damon's slouching form.

"He must know something," Damon called after her.

"I'll ask him," Caroline said in a tone that insisted it was useless. Damon ghosted in front of her and gripped the blonde's shirtfront.

"No, you won't, Caroline," Damon said firmly in a nearly growling tone, "He cannot know about us. A werewolf bite can kill a vampire; you can't be his friend, do you understand me?"

"I understand," Caroline said, voice breaking, "I'm late for school."

"Right," Damon let go of her shirt and patted her shoulder in a stiff and awkward motion, "If you want to crack a hint to your mom on the search, Amy Bradley's in the bottom of the creek with a broken neck." He stepped back and opened the door for Caroline, "It'd save your mom some time"

Caroline left quickly and Damon followed after the girl.

.

.

.

Stephanie woke up that morning on the couch and immediately knew that she was running late. She jumped up and quickly dressed and ran to school, bumping into Jeremy at her locker.

"Oh, hey," She smiled a little, wary of where they stood with their relationship at the moment.

"Hey, Steph," Jeremy beamed at her and leant down and gave her a small but lingering kiss that made Steph give a half smile.

She turned to her locker and opened it quickly, shoving some of her books in there while she listened to Jeremy talk.

"Hey, you know it's cool with Jenna with Elena stays over at your house with Damon, but they have to let her know," He said teasingly.

Stephanie paused and her brows furrowed into her forehead. She turned around and slowly and said, "What are you talking about, Jere? Elena wasn't at our house last night, as far as I know. Elena and Damon were together so I came home by myself and then a bit later Damon popped in and went to his bedroom."

Jeremy folded his arms across his chest and he looked at Stephanie, confused, "Her bed wasn't slept in last night, Steph, and Mrs. Lockwood said her car was still parked in the driveway."

"Where is she, then?" Stephanie asked a fear flooded her chest, "I'm going to call Damon." She jabbed her hand into her bag and quickly dragged her phone out and dialed her brother's number. It rang for only a few second before the older vampire's drawling voice answered.

"What is it, Steph?"

"Is Elena with you?" Stephanie asked warily, fingers gripping the phone tightly. Jeremy stood next to her, clearly anxious.

"No," Damon's voice was chilly, "She decided that she needed some time to feel safe. Needed time to herself."

"So, you didn't sleep with her last night?" Stephanie made sure, "You didn't see her again after the party?"

"I just said that, Steph," Damon enunciated slowly and then sharply asked, "Why?"

After exchanging a brief look with Damon, Stephanie said, "She's missing. Meet us in the school parking lot."

"Right." He hung up the phone and Stephanie did likewise. She grabbed Jeremy's hand and nearly dragged him out to the guest parking lot out front, and was relieved to see Damon's lean form already there and waiting.

In lieu of an actual greeting, Stephanie said, "This has Katherine written all over it, Damon."

Damon rolled his eyes, "She's in the tomb; trust me, I'm the one that put her in there last night."

"Is she?" Stephanie burst out impulsively.

"Of course she is, Stephanie," Damon said scathingly and he glared.

"Right, sorry," Steph muttered and she folded her arms and paced a bit in front of her boyfriend and her brother.

"But she did say something to me right before I shut her in," Damon admitted a moment later, quietly as he leant against the hood of a car.

Stephanie spun around and Jeremy straightened up, all ears. "Well?" Jeremy asked.

"What did she say?" Stephanie asked immediately.

"I thought she was lying," Damon muttered to himself.

"What did she say?" Steph demanded more urgently.

"Elena's in danger," Damon said quietly, his icy blue eyes meeting Steph's. Jeremy threw his hands up into the air and spun around, glaring at Damon.

"And you didn't think to ask her about it? Elaborate a little? Anything?" Jeremy asked incredulously with his anger nearly palpable.

"Cool it, Lassie," Damon spat, "Everything Katherine says is a lie, how was I supposed to know that she was telling the truth for once in her ungodly long life?"

Jeremy turned to Steph, "We have to go talk to her."

"No, no, no," Damon said, diving in between them, "I'm going to tell you how that's going to go; we're gonna go ask her for help, and she'll negotiate a truce and then she'll get out."

"I really don't care," Jeremy argued, "Come on, Stef."

"It's a bad idea," Damon warned.

"It's my sister!" Jeremy roared.

"Calm down," Stephanie put a hand on Jeremy and Damon's arms each, "I have an idea."

.

.

.

Caroline walked towards Steph's locker, hoping that her friend would be there still. Her boots clicked on the linoleum floor, but the noise was lost in the din of the hallway. She bumped into Tyler, the last person she really wanted to see that morning after her chat with Damon.

"Hey," He said, his face drawn.

"Hi," Caroline gave a little nervous wave, "How are you?"

"Not good," Tyler said, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets roughly, "Listen-"

Caroline plowed over him, "How's Mrs. Lockwood? My mom said she wasn't really dealing, what with there having been a dead girl in . . . your . . . house. Wow, that was super insensitive and I thought I'd gotten over that a while ago. Sorry."

"How did you know?" Tyler cut in, not appearing to have heard Caroline's babble.

"About what?" Caroline asked nervously, trying her best not to wring her hands.

"About me," Tyler said flatly, "How did you know?"

"That you were upset?" Caroline did her best to sound confused, "I thought I was doing the right thing by covering for you." She made a show about looking around her for eavesdropping students.

"That's not what I'm talking about," Tyler said vehemently.

"It was an accident," Caroline told him softly, "And I've got to run. Please don't blame yourself." She turned away from Tyler and quickly walked down the hall way, trying not to look back at the boy behind her.

.

.

.

"How does this work?" Jeremy asked as he laid out a map of Virginia. Stephanie was at his side laying out a map of the entire U.S while Bonnie lit her necessary candles.

The witch explained, "I need blood to tie the tracking spell to Elena, blood of someone biologically related to her; you two are cousins."

The door opened and shut quickly, and Damon walked in carried a duffle, "Rick said we need to clear out of this room in ten minutes tops. These are some weapons he's loaning me."

"You mean you took them without asking," Stephanie muttered, but shot Damon a quick grin.

"You ready?" Bonnie asked Jeremy as she held up a small dagger.

Jeremy swallowed thickly, "As I'll ever be." Bonnie cut Jeremy's palm and the boy winced as he took his hand back and let the blood drip over the map of Virginia. Bonnie closed her eyes and her lips moved almost silently as she chanted a quiet spell.

Stephanie eyed Jeremy's bloody hand for a moment, and then her green eyes swept up to Jeremy's face. Damon came to stand on her left side, arms folded nonchalantly across his chest.

The blood on the map congealed in a small circle and traveled down the paper and stopped over a secluded area of the map.

"That covers over three hundred miles," Jeremy said as frustration built in him.

"Can't you get a more exact location?" Damon demanded.

"No," Bonnie said sharply, and then more softly, "No, that's as close as I can get it."

"We can map it; aerial view," Jeremy brainstormed, "It'll show us what's around there."

"Perfect," Stephanie said, "Call me with whatever information that you find, Jere." She rose and quickly walked to the door, zipping up her sweatshirt. Damon was already ahead of her, leaving the classroom with the duffle of Alaric's weapons.

"No, no," Jeremy said, "I'm going to come with you."

Stephanie turned around and firmly looked up at her boyfriend, "No, Jeremy, you're not."

"I'm not going to just sit here and let you go into a dangerous situation," Jeremy protested, "And what if Elena's hurt? Or, what if she's . . ." Jeremy grabbed Stephanie's shoulders.

"She's not," Stephanie snapped, "And what do you mean, 'let me'? I'm perfectly capable of holding my own, and Damon's got my back. Go home and call me if you find out anything new." She shrugged out of Jere's hold and deftly left the room.

"That wasn't smart," Bonnie remarked wryly.

"What wasn't?" Jeremy sighed angrily and turned around to look at the girl.

"Never tell your girlfriend you're not letting them do something; especially one that's stronger than you," Bonnie said.

.

.

.

Stephanie's phone beeped sharply, causing the vampire to pull it out of her jeans pocket. Caroline's name flashed on the screen, warning her of a text. Damon glanced at her at the driving wheel.

"Who is it?"

"Caroline," Stephanie said as she opened the text. PROBABLY DID SOMETHING I SHOULDN'T HAVE. WHERE ARE YOU? NEED TO TALK ABOUT TYLER.

"What did Barbie want?" Damon as nonchalantly.

"Nothing," Stephanie said, concern for her friend rising in her gut, "She just wondered where Elena and I were." She quickly texted the other girl back and told her they'd talk in a bit.

Steph pulled the duffle bag from the back seat to distract Damon and pulled out the first things she saw. "Alaric certainly likes his toys. What is this thing?"

Damon's icy blue eyes flashed to it before settling back on the road. "Oh, just a Vervain bomb/grenade launcher or something. Nifty, huh?"

"Weird's more like it," Stephanie muttered and carefully placed the weapon back into the bag, "Hey, how much further is it?"

"80 miles," Damon drawled.

"Why do you think that whoever took Elena chose Tucker?" Stephanie asked idly, her eyes watching the scenery out her window. The duffle of weapons sat still in her lap.

"In Katherine's past, it says she's running from someone," Damon said, "Maybe they got the wrong girl." His tone of voice was offhand, but Stephanie watched as her brother's pale and deft fingers tightened around the driving wheel.

Stephanie's phone rang and she looked at the cover and saw Jeremy's face. Irritated though she was, Steph picked it up, "Hello?"

"I looked up the area that was one the map," Jeremy said professionally, "And there's nothing around there for miles except for this one big house."

"Send me a picture?"

"Sure," Jeremy said quickly.

"Thanks Jere," Stephanie said, voice softening.

"No problem."

.

.

.

Jeremy hung up and sighed, looking at the ceiling of his bedroom. Bonnie fluttered around and pulled out a grimoire from her bag.

"I hate sitting here, waiting, like this," Jeremy said.

"I have another idea that might help," Bonnie suggested with a hopeful look on her face. Jeremy nodded and Bonnie brought her grimoire over to the bed and they opened it together. Jeremy could smell Bonnie's perfume and couldn't help but smile a bit at the flowery scent.

Bonnie gave him a quick grin and said, "I need a candle and for you to give me Elena's hairbrush."

"Sure, of course," Jeremy hopped up, eager to keep away from temptation and to find a way to help Elena. He grabbed her hairbrush and candle out of Elena's bedroom and quickly brought them to Bonnie. He looked down and saw that the witch had written a quick note addressed to Elena, and he frowned.

"What are you going to do?" Jeremy asked curiously.

"I know it's crazy, but I might be able to get her a message," Bonnie swiftly replied. She crumped up the message and focused on the lit candle and the hairbrush. Her eyes closed and she said a silent spell and the paper ball slowly burnt up.

Jeremy's eyes widened in shock and fear as Bonnie became to tremble and her nose bled.

"Bonnie," Jeremy started, "Bonnie!"

The message disappeared and Bonnie slumped over onto the bed, passing clean out.

"Bonnie!"

"Getting close," Stephanie said, "Jeremy told me there was an access road just off this bend here."

"Great," Damon said and reached a hand back and pulled a bag blood from a backpack. Stephanie's eyes followed it.

"Have any more?"

"Of course, dear sister of mine," Damon said smirking and he pointed a thumb at a black backpack in the seat behind them. Steph turned around and grabbed one, breaking it open and drinking it. "Hey, since we're road trip bonding and drinking blood, remember the days when all you lived for was the stuff? You were the gal who ripped people apart for fun."

Stephanie rolled her eyes at the barb and ignored the stab of pain it wrought, "Oh yes, the days where I was a vicious monster who had flipped the switch?"

"Well, I was thinking when you were a bit more like me," Damon drawled.

"I control it now," Steph said defensively, "I just drink animal blood too, to help that happen."

"Uh huh, but wouldn't it be awesome if you didn't have to drain poor Bambi and Thumper every once in a while?" Damon asked.

Stephanie rolled her eyes again, "Yes, but it's just better for us all if I keep everything balanced."

"Okay, okay," Damon raised his hands in fake surrender, "Whatever works for you. But I'm always available if you want some help as to not to have to drink forest mammals." Stephanie and Damon pulled up in the latter's blue mustang to a large mansion-like home, with a sprawling green yard. Weeds were overgrown and what looked to have been a garden was now a jungle.

"Nice place," Damon drawled but his eyes were sharply sweeping the layout, "Ready?"

"Been ready," Stephanie replied. She slipped out of the car with the weapons bag, followed by Damon.

Stephanie was ahead of him, and he frowned, "Wait a minute. I've done this sort of thing before, you know."

"Yes?" Steph asked impatiently, "Your girlfriend might be being tortured in there, hurry it up, Damon."

"My point is that whoever has Elena in there," Damon gritted his teeth, "Most likely was whoever has been tracking Katherine down."

"And?" Stephanie asked with one eyebrow raised and one hand on her hip.

"It puts him at least 500 years old and very strong," Damon said, "and I want you to be careful."

Stephanie rolled her eyes and spun around, muttering to herself. Damon caught the words "men," "brothers," and "boyfriends." None of it was complementary.

.

.

.

Elena paced nervously in the mansion, thrumming with nervous energy. The crumpled up note that Bonnie had sent her – the one that promised Steph and Damon were on the way – was in her fist that she'd tucked underneath her chin.

She heard footsteps, and expecting Rose and Trevor again, was surprised and a bit fearful when it was Rose and another man she'd never seen before. Elijah, no doubt.

He looked at her from his vantage point and then sped down to face her directly. The vampire's face ghosted towards her own and for a terrifying moment Elena thought he was going to kiss her. But he passed her mouth and inhaled the scent of her neck, making Elena freeze up.

Elijah slowly lifted his head and seemingly to no one at all, announced, "Human. It's impossible." He met Elena's eyes for the first time and ignored her trembling. Elijah greeted her, "Hello, there."

Elena swallowed thickly.

"Well, we have a long journey ahead of us," Elijah announced a moment later when it appeared Elena would be saying nothing, "We should be heading out."

Elena spoke for the first time and looked over the Original's shoulder at Rose, "Please," She said, hating the way her voice trembled, "Please don't let him take me." The other vampire just looked down.

"I have one more piece of business," Elijah said suddenly, "And then we're done." He turned and slowly walked over to Rose and Trevor's still forms as they stood stiffly. Elena watched as Trevor murmured several words of apologies to Elijah, begging for his forgiveness.

It didn't help him.

Elena shielded her eyes as Elijah beheaded the vampire that had kidnapped her, and when the Original came towards her, spluttered out, "What about the moonstone?" Rose's sobs were loud in the suddenly quiet room.

Elijah stilled. "What do you know about the moonstone?"

"I know that you need it, and where it is," Elena stuttered.

"Yes?"

"I can help you get it," Elena said, her voice strengthening.

"Tell me where it is," Elijah said easily.

"It doesn't work that way," Elena said defiantly, her brown eyes flashing. She stilled her trembling and watched Elijah carefully.

"Are you negotiating with me?" Elijah asked her, but turned to look questioningly at Rose. The other vampire's eyes were red and puffy, and her voice was rough when she answered.

"It's the first I've heard of it," Rose told the Original.

Elijah turned back to her and his eyes searched Elena's form, and he spied Elena's necklace. It felt as if it was burning with all of the intensity and weight of Elijah's stare.

"What is this Vervain doing on you?" He asked, and for the first time, his cordial tone turned scathing. He ripped it off and Elena gasped. Elijah gripped the back of her head and brought her towards him, but Elena still struggled in his grasp. She felt it when he compelled her. "Where is the moonstone?"

"In the tomb underneath the church ruins," Elena droned.

"What is it doing there?"

"It's with Katherine."

Shattering glass broke his hold over Elena and the girl stumbled back a step. Rose and the Original swept their gazes upwards.

"What was that?" Elijah asked in a warning tone.

"I don't know," Rose answered.

"Who else is in this house?" Elijah demanded.

"I don't know," Rose insisted and Elijah gripped Elena's arm and dragged her out of the room. She stumbled on her feet and prayed that it was Damon and Stephanie that were there to rescue her, though she almost wished that they hadn't come; then they'd have a chance to survive, because surely this Elijah would kill them.

Elijah dragged Elena up the stairs of the room they'd been staying in and into the foyer where there were a couple more doors and another staircase. Elena's eyes swept the area as Rose followed them and she saw a broken glass vase. Something ghosted passed her and the two vampires with Elena were immediately on guard.

Elena broke out of Elijah's loose hold and stumbled closer to Rose's side, where she felt slightly safer.

"Rose," Elijah half asked, half commanded.

"I don't know who it is," She said again.

Another figure ghosted passed.

"Up here," A familiar feminine voice called from up the stairs and hope filled Elena. Elijah ghosted up there just in time for a masculine voice to say, "Down here."

The second voice warmed Elena's stuttering heart.

Something whizzed by and pierced Elijah's hand, and Elena was swept away from the foyer. She blinked her eyes and saw Stephanie's petite form in front of her, putting a finger to her lips for silence. Elena heard Damon's voice again, calling out to Elijah.

"Excuse me, To Whom It May Concern," Elijah boomed back, "You're making a huge mistake in thinking that you can beat me. You can't. You can't. You hear that? I repeat you cannot beat me. I want the girl," The sound of wood splintering reached Elena's ears, "on the count of three, or heads will roll. Do we understand each other?"

Stephanie whispered the plan into Elena's ear swiftly and watched as her human friend walked away from her to distract the vampire out in the foyer. It rebelled against her instincts, but Stephanie stayed put.

"Don't hurt my friend, they're just trying to help me out," Stephanie heard Elena say, and then the sound of a grenade going off and the older vampire's screaming.

Stephanie burst out of her corner with a sawed off shot gun and shot the wooden bullets at the mystery vampire in several short bursts. She saw his eyes widen a little as he watched her, and his head cocked to the side briefly.

He kept coming though, and so Stephanie tackled him down the stairs; they rolled head over heels until they reached the bottom. The vampire pinned Stephanie and whispered into her ear.

"Does Klaus know that you're here?"

The words puzzled her, but Stephanie bucked the man off, chills having settled into her bones at the position. The vampire's face wavered for a moment, and her heart froze when it morphed into Fredrick. She went limp until Damon roared and threw him off of Stephanie and jammed a wooden coat rack into his heart.

Stephanie watched as the vampire – Elijah – stilled and desiccated, and hared in the background Elena tell Damon to let Rose go, and then she heard the couple reunite together. Steph didn't take her eyes off of Elijah though, even though he was most certainly dead now.

"Does Klaus know that you're here?" She mouthed to herself silently and wondered who the man could possibly be – that this Elijah knew and apparently she did as well.

.

.

.

After Elena and Damon were done reuniting, Steph and Damon drove Elena to her home, where she planned on spending some time with Jeremy.

The Salvatore siblings walked Elena up to her door, where Jeremy was seeing Bonnie out. Steph's eyes caught the gentle look of fondness Bonnie gave Jere, and the easy smile he gave in return. Stephanie cocked her head at the new development and tried to beat back the twinges of jealousy that started to itch at her heart.

"I'll drive you home," Jeremy began.

"Nah, Elena wants to spend some time with her little brother," Damon cut in sharply, "You wouldn't want her to be disappointed, now, would you? We'll take Bonnie home."

Jeremy nodded with confusion evident is his eyes, but spared Stephanie a quick hug before he and Elena went into the house. Damon and Steph rode in silence with Bonnie as they dropped the witch off at her house, and then they drove to the Boarding House.

Once there, Damon poured them both some drinks.

"Looks like Lassie's gone to find a new Timmy to rescue from all those wells," Damon said, lifting the bourbon to his mouth and his icy eyes wandered the ceiling.

"I'm sure it wasn't like that," Stephanie corrected him sharper than she meant to.

"Of course it's not," Damon said with a wry smile.

"Did Elena fill you in on everything they said at the place in Tucker?" Stephanie changed the subject, "What Rose told her about the curse?"

"I know," Damon assured her, "And we'll protect Elena."

Stephanie nodded and took a long swig from her own glass of bourbon. Damon set his glass down and gave her a two fingered salute. "I'm off to visit Elena. Night."

Steph watched him go and remembered the text from Caroline, and told herself she'd talk to the other girl the next morning. Something ghosted passed her, and Stephanie froze for a moment, and then grabbed a stake.

"Whose there?" Stephanie called out.

Rose appeared from the shadows, "Lexi once told me you were one of the good ones."

"You know Lexi?" Steph asked warily, "You wouldn't mind if I called her up then, to see."

"Trevor was my best friend," Rose said instead, ignoring Steph's last sentence, "For five hundred years I have lived with him on the run. And now he's gone. And I don't want to run anymore because I don't have anywhere to run to or anyone to run with."

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you," Stephanie said stiffly.

"I don't need your help," Rose corrected bluntly, "But I think you need mine. Elijah may be dead, but it isn't over."

"What do you mean, it isn't over?" Stephanie asked harshly.

"It isn't over. The Originals; they'll come for her. They're doing it for him," Rose said slowly.

"For who?" Stephanie asked, gripping her stake tighter.

"Klaus."

Does Klaus know that you're here?

The question rang over and over in Stephanie's ears.

.

.

.

Damon and Elena went back over to the Boarding House in the morning in response to a message on both of their phones from Steph, who sounded very distressed. They hurried, and forewent the process of waking up and bringing Jeremy.

"I don't like him in the thick of danger, anyway," Elena had said.

"I think Lassie's about to two-time my sister," Damon had replied.

So they'd left Jeremy asleep in his bed and the couple had run over to the Boarding House to find Stephanie in the foyer, waiting for them.

"What's happened?" Elena asked quickly, "Is something else wrong?"

"Just her," Stephanie said and confused, Elena and Damon exchanged glances.

"Who?" Damon asked, but then Rose appeared from the next room over to stand in slightly behind Stephanie.

"You," Damon growled.

"You," Elena said.

"Me."  Rose nodded.

.

.

.

"Okay, you have to understand, I only know what I've picked up over the years," Rose explained to them all, "And I don't know what's true and what's not true. But Klaus, I know is real."

"Who is he?" Elena asked as she folded her arms across her stomach. She sat on the couch by herself, Damon perched on the arm, and Stephanie sat tensely in the armchair while Rose stood up and paced.

"One of the Originals; which is the first generation of vampires," Rose told her.

"So, he's like . . . Elijah?" Elena guessed.

"No," Rose said flatly, "Elijah's like the Easter Bunny compared to Klaus. Klaus is more like the devil. Elijah's a pawn," Rose elaborated, "Klaus is known as The Oldest."

"Okay, so, you're saying the oldest vampire in the history of time is coming after me?" Elena asked flatly, "Just to clarify, you know."

"What she's saying, 'Lena, is that we're looking at a solid maybe," Damon said, rising to stand next to Rose, "Look, Elijah's dead, so you know what? No one even knows that you're here that could run off and tell this Klaus," Damon continued, "And we don't even know that he's real – he might just be a bedtime story."

"He's real," Rose said sharply.

"Elijah seemed to think that I knew him."

Three heads turned to Stephanie and she realized a bit late that she'd said that aloud.

"What?" Damon asked, "What do you mean?"

Steph swallowed and said more firmly, "When he had me pinned, Elijah asked me, quote, 'Does Klaus know that you are here?' unquote, and then you killed him."

Damon's eyebrows rose and Rose's jaw dropped.

"Do you? Know him?" Rose demanded.

"Of course she doesn't know him," Damon said immediately, "How could Stephanie know him." He turned to Steph and said, "You can't know Klaus."

"I don't," Stephanie assured him, "I had no idea who Elijah was talking about."

"See?" Damon asked, though Rose didn't look convinced.

"In any case, Klaus doesn't give up," Rose continued, "If he wants something, he gets it, end of story. If you're not afraid of Klaus, you're an idiot."

"Alright, you made your point," Damon waved her off, "We're shaking in our boots."

Elena stood and started out of the living room.

"Where are you going?" Damon called after her.

"School," Elena told him, "I don't want to be late."

"I'll drive you," Damon offered.

"That's okay, I know where it is," Elena told him and left quickly. The three vampires were left in the living room.

"She's in denial," Damon said to no one in particular.  "In. Denial."

.

.

.

Jeremy looked at his phone and frowned when he noticed there weren't any replies back from Stephanie, and nearly walked right passed Bonnie in the parking lot. He heard her exclaim in surprise and he turned around to see her stuff spilled all over the ground.

She's beautiful today.

The thought was sudden and unwanted, but Jeremy went over smiling anyway to help.

"Hey," He greeted.

"Hi Jeremy," Bonnie smiled at him, laughing at her own clumsiness.

They talked quietly for a minute, and Jeremy opened his mouth and a question spilled out without his own consent, "Hey, I'm having some serious trouble with my Economics, and I know that you're pretty good at it, having passed the class with flying colors last year. Mind helping me after school?"

Bonnie looked at him carefully. "Why not ask Stephanie?"

"She's pretty good with most things, but Econ is not her strong suit," Jeremy said laughingly.

"Okay then," Bonnie agreed.

A boy walked passed then, giving Jeremy time to think about what he'd just done.

I'm kind of an idiot, Jeremy thought to himself. Why am I doing this?

But he didn't cancel the study session either and end up showing the new kid – Luca – to the main office as a favor to him and Bonnie.

.

.

.

After Steph got a text from Barbie, Damon cornered Rose in the living room.

"Alright, Rosebud, it's time for some answers," Damon announced cheerily as he bounced over to her side. He could smell the extra saltiness in the room and sighed, "Don't tell me you're still crying over your buddy, Trevor. Decapitation: it's a natural part of life for vampires."

"Are you always this sensitive?" Rose asked wryly as she wiped her face with a tissue.

"It's called The Switch. Use it," Damon said dryly, "It's what its' there for."

"Like you're using yours?" Rose asked him, raising an eyebrow, "You're obviously in love with the doppelgänger."

"Yeah, yeah," Damon waved a hand, "Don't get on my bad side."

"It seems to me that the one ones on your good side are your sister and you lover," Rose observed, "And I'm neither, I guess I really have no place to be except on your bad side."

"How do I find Klaus?" Damon demanded, flashing up to Rose's front.

"First of all, you don't find Klaus, he finds you," Rose said.

"Oh, come on," Damon rolled his eyes, "Somebody's got to know somebody that knows him, right?"

"Add two hundred somebody's to that, and you're still not even close, though I do think that your sister's had a run in with him," Rose said firmly.

"We're not on to that again, are we?" Damon complained, "Everyone knows of Klaus, but I'm certain that Steph doesn't know intimately know the guy."

"How do you know?" Rose asked sharply.

"Because she said she didn't," Damon countered.

"She could be lying," Rose told him.

"Stephanie doesn't lie to me about stuff that big," Damon said, the false cheer he'd expressed waning away, "and I can tell when she is lying. She doesn't remember meeting the guy."

Rose huffed, but her suspicious expression remained, though she said nothing more on the matter.

"So, how did you get into touch with Elijah?" Damon asked, "If you can reach Elijah, certainly you can reach Klaus."

"It was through a friend of mine who is very low on the totem pole," Rose said flatly, "A guy named Slater, in Richmond."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Damon said, "Hop to it."

"Not all of us do the sun," Rose wiggled her fingers and pointed at Damon's ring.

"Not a problem, I have a car," Damon smirked.

.

.

.

Stephanie met Caroline at the Grill as the blond had requested, and they procured a table that seated two.

"I might have done something," Caroline said quietly.

"What did you do?" Stephanie asked, concerned.

"I may have told Tyler that I'm a vampire," Caroline murmured. Stephanie sighed with frustration and stared at Caroline.

"Why?" She finally asked.

"Sorry I dragged you here," Caroline said instead, "I have to eat; if I don't, I get these super bad urges to kill people. Tyler totally has those too, you know." She scooped up a forkful of food and stuffed into her mouth.

"What else did you say to him?" Stephanie asked carefully.

"Not much," Caroline said after swallowing, "I tried to keep the questions to a minimum, you know?"

Steph sat back and sighed.

"Are you mad?" Caroline asked a minute later with a concerned frown on her forehead.

"Yes, Caroline," Stephanie said, irritation plain in her voice, "As a matter of fact, I am, a little bit. You put yourself at risk and if Damon finds out-"

"But you're not going to tell him, are you?" Caroline asked as a pang of real fear hit her.

"Of course not," Stephanie said quickly, "He'd . . . kill you."

Caroline smiled smugly, "Always looking out for me. Where is Damon, by the way?"

Steph felt a smile worm its way onto her own face and a dimple appeared on her cheek, "Yeah. You don't always make it easy on me, either. And he's with Rose. They were discussing Klaus – have you heard about Klaus, yet? – and then they went on a bit of a field trip to visit a friend of Rose's called Slater."

"Field trips are fun," Caroline said, and then wondered idly, "Why are you such a good friend to me?"

"I don't know," Stephanie admitted, "I guess you remind me of my best friend, Lexi."

"You have other friends?" Caroline asked incredulously.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Stephanie spluttered a bit, smiling, "You say that with a discouraging amount of surprise. It's making me worry."

"No, I mean," Caroline giggled laughter, "Sorry, I just. Tell me about her."

"I will, some other time," Stephanie said, "Maybe she'll come back around sometime soon for a visit. I haven't heard from her in a bit, actually."

"So, what do I do about Tyler?" Caroline asked abruptly, "I don't want Damon to kill him, and there's a full moon coming up and Tyler's totally freaking out about it."

Stephanie opened her mouth to say something when her eyes caught a blur of movement in corner of the Grill. She paused and looked over.

It was Jeremy.

And Bonnie.

They were a table full of school books, and Steph's eyes wandered to their too close knees and hands.

"I'm sure it just looks like they're flirting," Caroline said, and Steph knew she must have spied the two of them, "They're studying, it looks like."

"Yeah. Studying," Stephanie said flatly.

"Look, there's this new guy at school named Luca, and Bonnie looks really interested," Caroline tried, "Oh, look, there he is! He's joined them."

"All that tells me is that Jeremy's crush isn't reciprocated," Steph deadpanned.

"I'm sure it's not a crush," Caroline said unconvincingly, "And that Bonnie's really just tutoring Jeremy is some subject that you're not good at. Otherwise, he'd have come to you."

Steph just hummed quietly. "Where's Elena?" She changed the subject.

Caroline seemed to sweat. "Sick. She went home sick from school."

"Really?" Stephanie asked, concerned, "We should go check on her."

"No, I really think we shouldn't," Caroline said, "We should just leave her alone. You know how sick people are – they're grumpy . . . and sick."

Stephanie narrowed her eyes. "Elena's not really sick, is she?"

"Of course she is," Caroline squeaked.

"Right," Stephanie said, completely unconvinced, "So, you wouldn't mind me going over by myself then?"

"No!" Caroline nearly shouted, "Um, I mean . . ."

"I know how good you are at providing distractions on the go, Care," Stephanie said emphatically, "So I know that you're hiding something from me. Where's Elena? And is it going to piss Damon off?"

"I can't tell you the first one, but the answer to the second one is probably . . . yes," Caroline said.

"She's gone to Katherine's tomb, then," Stephanie realized.

Caroline groaned and thumped her head against the table. "Please don't go get her. She'll think I told you."

"You could come and say that you didn't tell me," Stephanie offered as she got up from the table and left a twenty on the table.

Caroline groaned.

.

.

.

"I'll be the safest psychotic bitch in town."

Katherine's voice seemed to taunt Stephanie as she first dropped Caroline off, and then Elena. It rang in her head all the way back to the Boarding House where Damon and Rose were by themselves.

"You need to go over to Elena's," Stephanie said loudly to her brother. He looked up from his place sitting next to Rose to stare in inquisitively at her.

"What happened?" He asked.

"She went down and talked to Katherine in the tomb. She found out some . . . unsettling news. She needs you," Stephanie said quietly and Damon cursed.

"Rose can fill you in on our adventures for today," Damon said to Steph and then he flashed out of the room in a blur.

Stephanie and Rose were left in the living room together, until the latter woman's phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Rose."

"Slater," Rose said, clearly relieved. Stephanie let one of her eyebrows rise in curiosity and she wondered how bad of a day they'd had.

"Sorry I split; I was freaked out."

"No, it's okay," Rose assured her friend.

"I don't any part of this, but I did do some digging," Slater said, and Stephanie heard him over the phone. She perked her hearing, intrigued.

"Yes?" Rose asked.

"You can destroy the curse. But you need the moonstone," Slater said.

"What? How?" Rose asked, frowning, and Stephanie's brows furrowed.

"Can your friend get the moonstone? Because you need it," Slater repeated. Stephanie nodded at Rose, and the older vampire assured Slater that they could get the stone. "And you need a witch. Just get the moonstone to a witch; they'll know the rest."

"Thanks, Slater," Rose said warmly and hung up the phone. She and Stephanie exchanged worried glances.

"That was sudden. And weird," Rose told Stephanie.

"We'll work it out," Stephanie said with more confidence than she felt.

.

.

.

Over an hour away, Elijah compelled Slater to stake himself and he spoke with Jonas about its necessity.

"I might have a problem," Elijah told Jonas a moment later, having made a decision to tell the warlock of a thought weighing on his mind.

"And what would that be, besides the obvious?" Jonas asked warily.

"Klaus' . . . lover is in Mystic Falls. And her brother is dating the doppelgänger," The Original said.

Jonas' eyebrows rose.

Elijah continued, "But she appears to have been compelled to forget their previous encounters. But if she's released of the compulsion and remembers . . ."

"Would she side with her old companion or her brother and new friend?" Jonas finished, "That is a problem."

"As long as Klaus stays out of town for a while yet, it shouldn't be a problem," Elijah mused, "But my little brother seems to have a penchant for showing up when he's not wanted, you know."

.

.

.

tbc


	12. seven devils all around you; seven devils in your heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Courage is the resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear."  
> -Mark Twain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the vampire diaries or any of the quotes borrowed/modified.

_The lights were bright in the darkness as they hung up in lanterns around the property. He smoothed down his suit quickly with deft fingers, his quick eyes searching the crowd. Oblivious men and women clinks their glasses and laughed airily, dancing to the fast, rhythmic song being played be the DJ. A woman swiftly moved past him, her skirt flying up and dancing around her knees. She didn't bother turning around to apologize and he didn't expect her to, so he artfully maneuvered around the crowd and tried to not let his pulse rocket at the thought of his love in danger._

_"'Scuse me," He said as he ran straight into a tall man with blondish hair who was wearing an Armani suit. "Sorry about that. I hope it doesn't stain." He added as he saw the man's suit; he had been carrying a flute of something, but it was now unfortunately spilled on his suit jacket._

_The other man chuckled, but it was not a happy sound. "I've had things worse than this stain my jacket, mate, than a glass of white wine. Could you have been distracted by that beauty over there?" His accent was obvious but not sharp, and the man pointed. Jeremy followed the man's line of sight and for the first time, he saw Stephanie over across the area cordoned off for dancing._

_She was breathtaking, and a sharp pang of jealousy stabbed Jeremy's heart. He turned back to the man coolly and lied, "Of course I noticed her." The man's immaculate left eyebrow rose slowly, and so Jeremy added, "She's my girlfriend."_

_"Is that so?" The man's voice didn't change, though Jeremy thought there was something sinister in the tone that hadn't been there before._

_"Yeah, we've been dating about a year now," Jeremy continued and discreetly looked at his watch; almost time to go for a part of plan._

_"I'm a bit surprised, really, mate," The man said and he pretended to look secretive, "Stephanie's always been a wild one, you know; I would have thought her out of your league."_

_Indignation and righteous anger rose in Jeremy, along with the conflicting feeling of icy fear in his heart, "How did you know her name?"_

_The man smirked and his eyes twinkled._

"Because I'm an old lover of Stephanie's, Jeremy Gilbert, and I plan on taking her back in the near future. You're in the way right now, so you're going to notice that little Bennett witch friend of Elena's. You're going to try to win her affections."

_Jeremy felt his mind numb itself and his mouth opened without his own violation and he droned, "What about Steph?"_

_The British man smirked wider,_ "You're going to continue to date her as well as the Bennett witch. Let her find out about your little affair quickly."

_"Why would I do that?" Jeremy asked. Hurting Stephanie was like chopping off his fingers, one at a time._

"Because I want you to, Jeremy Gilbert, so that she'll break up with you. Because, Jeremy, you're an insignificant human compared to the Niklaus, an Original, and the only Hybrid. Now, you're going to forget this me, but you'll remember what to do."

* * *

Jeremy woke up gasping and trembling, a cold sweat breaking across his forehead with a deep sense of foreboding and de je vu. One of his hands rose and pushed sweaty bangs out of his eyes and he sought out the clock on his nightstand: 4:38 AM. He let out a breath of air and threw his blankets off of legs. Jeremy stood up and unsteadily lurched to the bathroom, passing Elena's darkened door on the way.

He turned on the spout and splashed some cold water onto his face and blinked in front of the mirror; his cheeks were flushed red and his eyes had dark rings around them. Jeremy sighed, turned off the sink, and towel rubbed his hands dry. He passed Elena's door again and hesitated briefly before deciding to check in on her.

Jeremy gently eased the door open slowly and peeked through the tiny gap and saw two lumps on her bed; Elena was encircled in Damon's arms, pulled tightly to the vampire's strong chest. Both looked content in their sleep, nothing like the weird dreams Jeremy had been having for the last few nights.

He padded on bare feet back to his room and silently shut the door and wondered why he wasn't over at the Salvatore Boarding House that night, with Stephanie. A sharp pain shot through his skull as he prodded his memory, and Jeremy's hand flew to rub his eyes.

He fumbled around his side table drawer until he grabbed a couple of Advil and swallowed them dry. Jeremy coughed and slid back into his bed, which seemed entirely too large without another person.

He closed his eyes and instead of Stephanie's pale dimpled cheeks with her brown ringlets framing her face, he saw chocolate skin and bouncy hair, with a quick but sharp edged smile.

Jeremy's eyes flew open again and he sat straight up.

"That's not right," He muttered aloud, "Something's not right." Pain pierced his skull again and the weirdness of the images in his head faded to the background.

Everything was fine.

"Everything's fine," Jeremy murmured and he slid back into an uneasy sleep, "Everything's good."

* * *

Elena startled awake in her bed, heart racing. Her eyes swept her bedroom and she took stock of everything around her, including the second presence in her bed. Damon slept heavily next to her, his arms having been previously holding Elena close.

Slowly and carefully so as to not wake him, Elena got up from the bed and gently tip toed out of her bedroom and down the hallway. She made not a single sound as she strained her eyes and ears in the dark for the noise that had awoken her from her light slumber.

She turned a corner and arrived at the top of staircase only to startle so bad her heart stuttered. Alaric likewise gasped and his right hand flew to hold himself to the banister. They stared at each other for a few seconds in awkward silence and Elena's eyes dropped to the bowl of ice cream cradled in Rick's left hand with two spoons.

"Elena," Alaric cleared his throat and straightened up. His eyes flew around anxiously.

"I, um, I heard something," Elena explained inelegantly, shifting her weight on her feet.

Alaric laughed a little and Jenna appeared behind him, clad in what Elena knew to be Rick's button up tee shirt.

"That was us," Jenna said, biting her lip and running a hand through her long hair, "I'm sorry."

"We didn't think anyone was up," Alaric said to her.

"But here you are," Jenna said, "and we were just . . ."

"We were just," Alaric hurried to pick up and then pro offered his bowl of ice cream, "Chunky Monkey?"

"I'm not hungry," Elena said slowly.

"Well, I'm naked," Alaric announced after another pause of silence. Elena shifted her eyes away so she wasn't looking at her History teacher's boxers, "So I'm gonna go." He quickly scurried passed Elena, careful to brush up against her, and bolted to the relative safety of Jenna's bedroom.

Elena and Jenna were left to themselves in the hallway, and the teenager walked passed her aunt towards the direction of her bedroom. Jenna followed her.

"I'm really, really sorry," Jenna said, her eyes big and doleful as they gazed on her niece.

"It's really not a big deal," Elena said, but she wouldn't meet Jenna's eyes as she waved a hand, "it's okay, Jenna, don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?" Jenna continued, "I don't know if you knew, but he's been staying over a lot, but if it makes you uncomfortable . . ."

"It's fine," Elena repeated, this time with a small smile, "It seems like things are good between you two."

That made Jenna smile despite herself, "Things are extremely good."

"Then I'm extremely okay with it," Elena teased and she escaped to her room and shut the door behind her. A second later, a pale hand descended to cover Elena's mouth and her eyes widened.

"It's me," Damon breathed into her ear, "But someone was in here."

"What?" Elena asked after Damon removed his hand, "Why? Why didn't you stop him?"

Damon let out a frustrated noise, "I woke up and saw him, but he did something witchy thing that made me pass out. I woke back up seconds later but he was gone by then. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Elena assured, but her eyebrows were creased in worry. She looked at the closed door and then pulled Damon farther into her room. "I thought I heard something, but it was Alaric and Jenna."

"Alaric and Jenna?" Damon momentarily forgot about their visitor to wiggle his eyebrows, "That's new."

"Apparently not," Elena said dryly, "I think he's been coming over a lot."

"Rick's stealthier than we thought," Damon said, and then turned serious, "We need to find out who was in here, and why."

Elena licked her lips. "Let's wait until the morning."

Damon looked like he would protest, but it was still dark and no one would be willing to get up to research at that hour, let alone be able to get in passed Jenna and Rick both.

"Alright."

When they woke in the morning, Elena and Damon went down the staircase, ready to leave, when someone knocked on the door. Exchanging glances, the couple went to the front foyer and found Stephanie standing in the doorway.

Surprised, Damon asked, "What's wrong?"

"I went to see Katherine," Stephanie said grimly, "And we need to talk." The shorter vampire was in blue jeans, a grey tee shirt with her leather jacket over it. Her brown hair was curly; falling down a bit passed her shoulders.

Steph's eyes contained urgency though, so Elena was quick to let her in her house.

"Come on in," Elena said quickly, and opened the door wider. Damon and Elena led the way into the kitchen, and Stephanie asked, "Where are Jenna and Jeremy?"

"Jenna's out," Elena relayed, "And Jeremy's-"

"Right here," The boy in questions called as he jogged down the stairs.

"What's going on?" He asked, and Elena watched as he went to Steph's side.

Elena sat at the kitchen island and Damon took up a stance to her left, crossing his arms over his chest. Stephanie stood across from them, on the other side of the island, her hands gripping the counter top. Jeremy took a seat next to her, but Elena observed that Steph was a bit aloof towards him that morning. Elena resolved to worry about that later.

Stephanie let out a stream of breath and said, "Rose's friend Slater called last night and said that we need the moonstone to destroy the curse, make in void so Klaus won't come after you." Her green eyes were on her brother and her friend.

"What?" Damon asked, startled, "I thought he was dead."

"Guess not," Stephanie snapped, "So then I went down to see Katherine about getting the moonstone; she won't let me have it unless she's free. She said that she'd give us the moonstone and leave Mystic Falls and never return if we let her out of the tomb."

"You don't believe her, do you?" Elena asked warily.

"I don't," Damon retorted, "Why should we?"

"Of course not," Stephanie said and then reiterated, "But we need the moonstone: after it's destroyed, the curse is gone, therefore there's no need for a doppelgänger, and you get to live."

"How do we even destroy the curse?" Damon asked skeptically.

"We have to release it from the moonstone," Stephanie explained.

"How do we do that?" Jeremy asked.

"We need a witch, and Bonnie's agreed to help," Steph said, crossing her arms and not looking at Jeremy. Elena looked between the Salvatore's thought them eerily similar that morning.

"So, you've already discussed this with her?" Elena asked, tilting her head with a bit of resignation.

"Bonnie's said she'll do anything she needs to, to help us," Stephanie nodded.

"It's Katherine," Damon cut as he looked down at his sister with a raised eyebrow, "She's not going to give it to you or to me or anyone else."

"We'll get it from her," Stephanie said to him, "Bonnie's just needs to figure out to release the seal on the tomb so we can get in and get out in time for Bonnie to put it back up."

"Sounds like you've got everything figured out," Jeremy said. Elena peered closely at her pseudo brother and noticed the dark circles around his eyes.

"Yes," Stephanie agreed, "for the most part."

"Sounds fun," Damon said dryly, "You can count me in."

"And me," Jeremy nodded.

"But there's one problem," Elena cut in and met the three gazes that were suddenly on her, "I don't want you to do it."

"What are you talking about, Elena? We really don't have much of a choice here," Stephanie said, confused.

"I'm agreeing with Steph, Elena," Damon said with narrowed eyes.

"What about Klaus?" Elena asked sharply, barely noticing the twitch Jeremy gave at the name.

"What do you mean?" Stephanie asked with furrowed brows, "We'll find him as soon as we get the moonstone."

"I'm not seeing any flaws," Damon agreed, and Jeremy nodded his ascent as well.

"Is that before or after he kills everyone I care about, including the three of you?" Elena demanded as her brown eyes narrowed while she pointed to her boyfriend, friend, and brother.

"Elena, if we can de-spell the moonstone, we can save your life," Damon said as he stared at her.

"I know," Elena agreed grimly, "You keep saying that. But at what cost?" She excused herself from the kitchen island and quickly left the kitchen.

"I want to know more about this in a minute," Damon said, "And then I'll tell you about our night visitor." He followed after Elena quickly, leaving Stephanie and Jeremy alone.

"Hey, Steph," Jeremy started awkwardly, "Is there something wrong?"

Stephanie stood stiffly, "Yes, actually."

There was moment of silence.

"Are . . . you going to tell me what is it?" Jeremy asked, frowning. He stood up and in front of Steph, his eyes searching hers.

"Why have you been flirting with Bonnie?" Stephanie asked. She looked at Jeremy, and he could see the hurt in her eyes.

"What?" He felt guilt rise in his gut, along with frustration, "I haven't."

"Right. So, I imagined you at the Grill with her," Steph said challengingly.

"What? No," Jeremy rushed to explain, "She was just helping me with some school work. There's nothing going on – nothing for you to be jealous about, Stephanie. Nothing at all. I love _you_."

Stephanie let her arms fall to her sides and she accepted the hug Jeremy gave her, but she couldn't push all of the doubt from her mind.

"You could've asked me," Was all she said though.

"You don't like Economics," Jeremy said, and then teased, "nor are you particularly good in that class."

Stephanie felt herself smile a little despite herself. "Hey," She half protested.

"Don't deny it," Jeremy said goaded, his eyes dancing with relieved laughter.

Damon's footsteps could be heard from the hall, and the couple looked back up at him when he entered alone. "She wants to be alone," He said shortly to their questioning eyes, "So, what are we waiting for?"

"I'll call Bonnie," Stephanie said, blinking at her brother's shortness.

* * *

"It's a bad idea," Were the first words out of Rose's mouth when Elena explained her plan to the old vampire.

"No, it's not," Elena calmly refuted her from her place on the couch in the Salvatore Boarding House. Rose paced in front of her in a grey tank top and some slacks. "From what Stephanie told us, your friend Slater obviously has more information about Klaus," Her eyes swept Rose's form and the next words were slightly disdainful, "You and Damon just gave up before you got it."

"Because someone blew up the coffee shop," Rose explained, exasperated, "with us in it, I might add."

"There's more to learn," Elena was firm, "we just have to find a way to learn it."

"Why are you coming to me about this?" Rose asked instead, riled.

"Because you owe me," Elena said, eyeing the vampire, "One word from me and Damon and Stephanie could have killed you for kidnapping me."

"Or," Rose said, "Maybe because you know they wouldn't want you doing this?" She trailed off, unimpressed with Elena's blackmailing skills, "And their moonstone caper gives you the time to sneak away."

"We're having a disagreement," Elena said in a tightly controlled voice, "Okay? They're willing to risk everyone I love, and I'm not."

"They're just trying to protect you," Rose explained quietly.

"And you've proved you could care less if you protect me or not," Elena shook her head, "So, we're back to you taking me over to your friend."

Rose sighed and sat next to Elena on the couch, letting the human feel a sliver of triumph.

"What exactly are you hoping to achieve by this?" She questioned.

"How would you like to be able to walk in the daylight?" Elena asked evenly.

Shock and surprised colored Rose's face and Elena knew she had her, "I've been enslaved to the shadows and darkness for five hundred years, what do you think?"

"I think," Elena said, "I know a witch who's willing to do whatever it takes to help. Are you willing to make a deal?"

* * *

Caroline felt like she was only one of her friends at school that day. She's seen Bonnie briefly with that new guy Luka, but she'd disappeared after getting some sort of text message. Jeremy and Elena weren't there, and Stephanie was gone too. Then she'd seen Matt and Tyler at the basketball court, talking.

She hurried over to them as soon as the conversation was over, tucking a blonde curl behind her ear.

"Matt," Caroline greeted warmly, smiling a bit hesitantly, "How are you doing?"

"Okay," He saw awkwardly, and Caroline noticed that the fall air made his cheeks flush a delicious pink. Her own marble skin was flawless, and she felt hardly any of the cold the others felt, even though she'd chosen to wear a jacket to keep up appearances.

"I mean, I've been better," Matt continued, and he hefted his backpack a little higher onto his shoulders, "I should head to class."

"Okay," Caroline said softly, "Bye." But he was already nearly half way across the parking lot, the previously bouncy blonde now forlorn. She walked over to Tyler's side, who was not even bothering with appearances: he wore a short sleeve shirt and his jeans looked holey. He spun the ball on his finger tip and raised an eyebrow.

"You two still on the outs?" He asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah," Caroline sighed, and then crossed her arms and changed the subject, "You realize it's almost the full moon?"

"Vampire doesn't have enough problems? You want to take on mine?" Tyler asked.

"Have you thought about? The whole wolf thing, I mean," Caroline clarified, "Do you know what you're going to do?"

"Yeah," Tyler nodded his head and Caroline waited.

When he said nothing more, Caroline asked demandingly, "Well?"

"It's kind of private, isn't it?" Tyler asked her, but there was a quirk on the side of his mouth.

"Tyler," Caroline said flatly, "You're really gonna turn down my help? I practically run this town with my organizational skills."

Tyler caved.

* * *

Stephanie, Jeremy, Damon, and Bonnie met at the empty Boarding House, where Bonnie reluctantly admitted she could open the tomb spell.

"How?" Jeremy asked, "It took that crazy witch Faye to open it last time, and she was relying on her entire coven to channel energy from."

"I've learned some things," Bonnie said evasively. She leant back on a side table filled with books.

"Bonnie," Jeremy said warningly. His arms were crossed and his eyes narrowed in worry.

Bonnie ignored his apprehension, though it struck a chord in Stephanie, making her response clipped when Bonnie asked her, "How will you get it?"

"She hasn't been feeding," Steph said, "she's weaker. We're not."

"You wouldn't be underestimating her, would you?" Bonnie asked cynically, tilting her head to the side.

"It's a plan," Damon intervened, seeing trouble, "Is it perfect? Pft, what plan is?"

"Let me do it," Jeremy interjected, and fear gripped Stephanie's heart at the thought, "I've got my ring; I could get in and no spell's necessary."

"No!" Stephanie snapped, "You're not going in there with her."

Damon said more calmly, "Gee, thanks, you sixteen year old child. Why didn't we think about that?"

"Maybe I can help better the plan," Bonnie suggested before anyone could start a fight, "Do you have anything that belongs to Katherine?"

Damon and Stephanie exchanged glances.

* * *

Elena rode with Rose, staying quiet throughout the drive in the dark tented window'd car. She sat in the passenger seat, sending the vampire quick glances every so often.

Rose broke the silence.

"What do you know about Stephanie's past?"

The questions was loud and sudden in the small car, and Elena twisted in her seat to look at Rose's full profile. "What do you mean?"

Rose's visage gave nothing away. "I meant what I asked. What do you know about her past?"

"Um, I know that her best friend is a vampire called Lexi," Elena started but then narrowed her eyes, "Is that about that conversation the other day? You think that Steph's lying. You think she really knows who Klaus is."

Rose adjusted her grip on the steering wheel, and cast Elena a quick look. "I think that she knows more than she's telling. Elijah just doesn't go throwing around names like that. If he thought that Stephanie knew Klaus, then she knew him."

"Why would she know Klaus?" Elena demanded, "Klaus is evil. Stephanie doesn't even like to drink from live humans – she eats blood bags and animals. I don't exactly think they'd get on."

"People change," Rose said simply and evasively, "It's a part of life."

"You're dead," Elena deadpanned.

"Ha, you're a funny one," Rose snapped.

"I just don't see Stephanie getting along with a man like this Klaus," Elena said seriously.

"You don't see _this_ Stephanie getting along with Klaus," Rose corrected and then added darkly, "I'm friends with Lexi too. And she's said some things about Stephanie that would make your hair curl. Things I'm sure that neither she nor Damon have mentioned."

The first touches of apprehension set in on Elena. Steph and Damon hadn't really mentioned their past to her. She'd heard the story of their turning and some of the years after, but most had been glossed over. Put under the rug and forgotten.

Elena shut that thought down.

"I don't want to hear about it," Elena said firmly, "If they want me to know, they'll tell me. It's personal. And it's not like there aren't things about me that they don't know."

Rose looked a bit surprised, but she shrugged.

"I think you'll live to regret not asking," Was all she said.

A few minutes later, they arrived at Slater's. They walked into his place, but it was silent.

Concerned, Rose called, "Slater! Slater?"

They walked around inside, and spread out a little, looking for the vampire.

Rose's voice called Elena over.

"I don't think he's going to be much of a help," Rose said and Elena saw why.

Slater was dead.

* * *

"This belonged to Katherine," Damon said, holding out an antique looking picture of the vampire. "It was in her things after we'd thought she was dead."

Bonnie took it and placed it into a metal dish, and then sprinkled some water on the photograph. She closed her eyes and the picture was set on fire. The witch murmured a few words in Latin, and the vampires and Jeremy looked on.

"What will this do?" Damon asked.

"I can turn the metal to ash," Bonnie said quietly, "Blow the ashes on her and it'll incapacitate her for a minute or two. That should be enough time to get the stone and get out."

A drop of blood dropped from her nose, and Jeremy looked at her with concern. Stephanie narrowed her eyes.

* * *

Caroline decided that if her friends wanted to ignore her for the day, then fine. She'd go with Tyler and explore.

They went to the old Lockwood property where she was shown the place Tyler planned on turning that night. He brought a flashlight, but the light did nothing to bright the dark, gloomy slave quarters.

"What's this?" Caroline stooped down and picked something up. It was rectangular and folded in cloth. She put it in Tyler's hands, and the werewolf unfolded the faded cloth.

"Was it Mason's?"

"It's some kind of diary," Tyler said and he frowned, "It chronicles his changes . . ." He frown became pronounced the farther he read.

"What's wrong?"

"It's . . . graphic," Tyler said and then read, " _'The full moon is tonight.'"_

Caroline bit her lip.

* * *

"I've got the torches," Stephanie said to the room's occupants as she and Damon packed some bags. Jeremy stood between Steph and Bonnie as the witch emptied out the ash from the bowl.

"I've got Alaric's tranq gun in my trunk," Damon said, "Bonnie?"

"Go ahead," Bonnie called, "I'm almost done."

Stephanie looked at Jeremy and inclined her head. "I'll be out in a minute," Jeremy assured her smiling. Steph nodded and hummed, picking up a backpack and a short minute later, Damon joined her.

Jeremy turned to Bonnie and hissed, "What are you doing?"

"Sh," Bonnie said, and pointed her to ear and then towards the direction Steph and Damon had gone.

"You're not strong enough for this," Jeremy continued until Bonnie put a finger on his lip to silence him. Jeremy felt a stirring of something in the back of his mind that said, yes, this is supposed to happen. But somewhere in his gut rebelled.

"You could get hurt," Jeremy's mouth said.

"I'll be fine," Bonnie said, "I'll be fine. Promise. I promise."

Jeremy nodded and gave her quick smile. "Alright. I got this; go get me something to put this in." He indicated the ash, and Bonnie smiled at him and disappeared.

"What's wrong with me?" Jeremy asked himself harshly, "I have a girlfriend that I love." He looked over his shoulder, sensing that Damon could be lurking around anywhere.

* * *

Jeremy steeled his nerves when he walked down into the tomb to face Katherine.

It really didn't help all that much.

It was like seeing Elena. She wore a torn black dressed and she look emaciated; her face was haggard and thin and she was pale as a sheet. It was like slap in the face, but Jeremy kept his face neutral.

"The youngest Gilbert's come to talk to me," Katherine drawled as she leant against a tomb wall to keep herself held up, "I wonder what he wants."

"I'm here for the moonstone," Jeremy said flatly.

"Yeah, yeah, it's very popular today," Katherine said.

"Give it to me," Jeremy demanded quietly, stepping forwards towards the vampire.

"Your girlfriend was down here earlier, did you know?" Katherine said idly, "She wanted me to hand it over, but I told her I'd only give it up if I was let go."

"Katherine," Jeremy said, taking another step, "Hand it over."

"I don't think so, little Gilbert," Katherine said shaking her head, "If you want, you'll have to come inside and get take it from me."

Gilbert lowered one of his arms and stake popped into his hands, and he shot it at Katherine from the stake launcher in his sleeve. It stabbed Katherine in the gut, making her choke and her hands grasped the end of the wood. She bent forwards in half, and while she was distracted, Jeremy splashed the ash onto Katherine's face, making her freeze and fall backwards.

Jeremy started forwards immediately. "I kinda figured you'd say that." He bent down and searched Katherine's person for the stone and felt a pang of unease; it felt like he was feeling up his sister.

"Come on, where is it?" He shined his flashlight down the tomb, and started down there, finding nothing until he reached the very back end. "Gotcha." He grabbed the stone and ran towards the entrance, only to find Katherine up and on her feet already.

Her eyes turned black and spidery veins crawled down her face. She hissed and Jeremy caught sight of fangs just before she launched herself at him.

Jeremy felt himself cry out as the vampire bit into his neck and rip. He tossed the moonstone out behind him and was glad that he'd left Stephanie, Damon, and Bonnie. Someone would have tried to come in and save him.

* * *

Stephanie and Damon arrived at the top of tomb together.

"You haven't seen Jeremy, have you?" Steph asked her brother.

Damon rolled his eyes, "He's probably at his house; couldn't take the pressure of our little outing." Stephanie shifted on her feet, feeling uneasy, but Bonnie arrived then and apologized for being late.

As they started to descend into the tomb, Damon's phone started to ring shrilly.

"Not a good time, Rose," Stephanie heard him say, and shot him a questioning glance. He beckoned them on and plugged his other ear and started to walk away.

Steph and Bonnie went down and started to get things ready when something shiny caught Stephanie's eye. She turned her head and saw the moonstone, sitting innocently out of the sealed off section.

". . . the hell?" Stephanie asked with her eyebrows furrowed.

"Is that the moonstone?" Bonnie asked, confused.

Stephanie rushed forwards and grabbed it, weighing the little thing in her hands. "Yes."

"I hate to interrupt," Katherine's voice called out from the tomb, and the witch and the other vampire's heads shot in that direction.

"No," Stephanie said quietly. Jeremy hung in Katherine's grasp, his bloody neck matching Katherine's red lips, "No," She said louder.

Stephanie ran to the edge of the tomb, anguished.

"Sorry," Jeremy slurred, "I took some powder."

Bonnie choked on tears and Stephanie's lips thinned. "Jeremy, you idiot," She whispered hoarsely.

"Don't worry, I know that he's wearing his ring," Katherine said, "So I know that no matter how many times you kill him, he'll be right back up and kicking." She pushed Jeremy backwards and he fell to his knees on the ground. "I'll be in the back playing with my new toy, while you guys get the tomb open."

"Let him go," Stephanie growled as her eyes turned black and her fangs ripped through her gums. She didn't let herself cry, and she kept her eyes off of Jeremy's still form on the ground.

"I will," Katherine promised, "As soon as you open the tomb."

Stephanie let out a frustrated noise, but Bonnie set to setting everything up. A moment later, Steph joined her.

"Where the hell is Damon?" Stephanie muttered anxiously. She shot a look towards the tomb entrance.

"Who knows?" Bonnie asked, "But we can't leave him in there."

"I know," Steph snapped, "I know."

Stephanie paced across the small area, "She's fed and now she has her strength back."

"I still have what's left of the ash," Bonnie said, handing it to Stephanie, "Do you think you can get close enough?"

"Oh, yes," Stephanie said grimly.

"Good," Bonnie gave it to her and opened her grimoire, "Now, it's going to take me some time."

"How long?"

"I don't know, a while," Bonnie admitted.

"Just get me in there as soon as you can," Stephanie said and paced a bit more in front of the entrance. Bonnie started to mutter in Latin, a necklace clasped in her hands.

* * *

Caroline would have been worried about her other friends if she weren't so worried Tyler. They'd sat together on his couch and watched a DVD they'd found in Mason's journal; it was of the now deceased man's first transformation.

It had rattled them both to the cores.

"' _I drank wolfs bane to weaken me. It tasted like battery acid,'"_ Caroline remembered reading. She'd read too many gruesome things, and the video had depicted Mason's transformation as over five hours.

He paused the tape.

"I can't do that," Tyler said over and over, "Whatever that was, Care? I can't do it." He shoved trembling hands through his hair.

Caroline frowned and hoped that her own anguish at the sight didn't show on her face.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Elena demanded as soon as she saw him.

"What do you mean, what am I doing here? What are you doing here?" Damon demanded as soon as he arrived at the address Rose had given him.

"You called him?" Elena asked Rose, and Damon could hear the betrayal in her voice, "You said you understood."

"She lied," Damon said simply.

"I'm sorry," Rose told Elena.

Elena turned back to Damon, her eyes burning with anger. Another dark headed human girl appeared, gushing about Damon.

"Get rid of her," He told Rose dismissively, and she dragged the girl away.

"Come, let's go," Damon said to his girlfriend, reaching out a hand to her.

She batted it away, "I'm not leaving."

"What do mean? Of course we're leaving," Damon said flatly.

"I'm not," Elena said firmly, "You can. It'd be preferred, actually."

"You do not get to make decisions anymore," Damon said as he and Elena stepped close to each other, face to face.

"When have I ever got to make the decisions?" Elena asked rhetorically, "You and Steph make those for me now. This? This is my decision to turn myself over to Klaus."

"Who's going to save your life why you're out making your own decisions?" Damon asked her incredulously.

"You're not listening to me, Damon. I don't want to be saved," She carefully enunciated, "Not if it means Klaus killing everyone I love. Not if it means he'll kill you."

Damon's icy eyes narrowed. "Get your ass out that door before I throw you over my shoulder and carry you out myself."

"No!" Elena said as Damon grabbed her. She threw a punch at his face, but he caught her fist in his and didn't let it go.

She gasped.

"Don't do that again," Damon said softly, eyeing her.

Elena's face closed off angrily.

* * *

Stephanie was pacing the tomb when Katherine dragged a limping Jeremy as far as Katherine could travel.

"Ooh, something's happening," She said.

"Bonnie, no," Jeremy said as his eyes fell on Bonnie's form, "Steph, you have to stop her, she's not strong enough!"

The flames grew.

"Maybe she is," Katherine observed.

Stephanie was ashamed to admit she hesitated before going to the witch. But jealousy wouldn't stop her from saving a life.

"Bonnie, Bonnie," Stephanie said carefully.

"You have to stop her!" Jeremy called, but Katherine elbowed his face and the human was knocked out and he fell to the floor.

"Bonnie, you need to stop, Bonnie!" Stephanie said as she stood in front of the witch. Bonnie's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell the floor, the grimoire slipping from her grasp.

Katherine smirked and Stephanie knelt beside her fallen friend. "Bonnie, you have to wake up. Come on, please."

"Yes, please," Katherine called, "because I'm still in here!"

Bonnie blinked awake and Steph gently eased her arm behind her and lifted the witch up, steadying her, "Yes, that's it," Stephanie said encouragingly, "You alright?"

"You heard her, I'm not strong enough," Bonnie cried as blood poured from her nose, "Even with help, I'm not strong enough."

"Aw, that's too bad, because I'm still hungry," Katherine drawled as she picked Jeremy up off the floor and started to drink from his neck, fangs gleaming with blood.

"Stop it!" Stephanie roared and she flashed inside the tomb, shoving Jeremy out of Katherine's grasp and straight to the floor. She knew there was some irony in that fact that Jeremy landed in Bonnie's outstretched arms.

Katherine cackled gleefully and Jeremy's eyes were wide as saucers as he stared at Stephanie. Bonnie clutched Jeremy to her, and Steph's eyes were still wide with shock over her own actions.

But she didn't regret it.

* * *

"Why are you helping me?"

The words that fell from Tyler's defensive lips stopped Caroline cold. She'd been talking to him about his first transformation when the words were suddenly thrust into being.

"What – what do you mean?" Caroline frowned.

"Why do you care?" Tyler asked bluntly, "We've never been friends before."

Caroline forced out a laugh, "That's not true; I've known you my entire life, Tyler."

Tyler shook his head at the normally perky blonde headed vampire. "We've never been close," He clarified for her, "Not like this."

Caroline shook her head. "I don't know," She admitted, "You – you just seem like you kind of need it." She sat next to him on the couch, and said, "I was alone, when I turned. I had no control over my body, my urges, and . . . I killed somebody. I don't want that to happen to you. I don't want you to be alone."

The doorbell rang.

"I got it," Caroline said and stood. She found Matt standing on the doorstep.

"Matt," She greeted, surprised, "What are you doing here?"

"I – I really have no idea," He admitted quickly, "I was driving home from work and I just found myself here."

"Are you okay? I've been worried about you."

"I miss you," Matt admitted to her.

The smiled and giggled a bit to each other, staring in their matching blue eyes. Tyler came up from behind them.

"Hey," Matt greeted.

"Hey," Tyler nodded.

Caroline looked between them, suddenly awkward.

* * *

"Okay, we're leaving this place," Damon announced to Rose and Elena were sitting next to each other on the plush couch, "and finally putting an end to this stupid day. The girl's sleeping in Slater's room, and she won't remember anything."

Before anyone could say anything to that, the front doors burst open and three vampire thugs burst inside and stalked towards them. Rose and Elena stood.

"We're here to meet the doppelgänger," The one who appeared to be the leader said.

"That would be me," Elena said, "thank you for coming." She stepped forward, but Damon's arm blocked her.

"There's nothing here for you," Damon smiled blandly at the vampire.

The vampire in the back fell forward and everyone's heads spun to the door. Elijah stood in the entrance, and he flashed forwards.

"I killed you," Damon said incredulously, "You were dead."

"For centuries now," Elijah agreed.

"Who are you?" Elijah asked the little leader.

"Who are you?" The leader demanded.

"I'm Elijah," The Original said, and Damon thought that Elijah got a bit of pleasure in seeing the blood drain from the other vampire's face.

"We were going to bring her, for Klaus," He hurried to explain, "We don't know how she exist, but she does. Klaus would want to see her."

"Does anyone else know that you are here?" Elijah asked emotionlessly.

"No," The vampire swore.

"Well then you have been incredibly helpful," Elijah smiled and jammed his hands into the two vampires' chest, and ripped their hearts out, letting them fall to the floor.

Damon readied himself in front of Elena as she gasped, but Elijah simply . . . disappeared out the front door. Damon exchanged a wary glance with his girlfriend.

* * *

Elijah stood in front of the window overlooking the front yard and heard the warlock enter.

"Where's Luka?" Elijah asked him.

"Asleep."

"Your shadow spell was successful," Elijah replied with little emotion, "It was able to attract the girl." He looked down at his hands. "I'm afraid I had a little run in with one of the siblings that tried to kill me."

"I assume they didn't live to tell about it," Jonas said simply.

"Actually, I spared him," Elijah said quietly.

Jonas stared and the Original elaborated.

"He'd die before he'd let anything happen to her; they both would. She'll be kept safe."

"For now," Jonas agreed finally.

"Well, that's precisely where we need her to be," Elijah said and turned to look at the warlock, "Safe."

* * *

Jeremy walked in with Bonnie in his house and tossed the white towel away from his neck angrily.

"I'm home, okay?"

It had taken nearly an hour to pry him away from the tomb; away from Stephanie.

"And I don't need an escort up to my room," He said.

"I don't know about that," Bonnie said harshly, "Between here and there, there's plenty of time for you to do something ridiculously stupid."

"I already feel ghastly," Jeremy hissed, "I don't need you to berate me."

"Stephanie is stuck in there, and I have no idea how to get her out!" Bonnie nearly growled, "How should I be feeling?"

"You never should have tried this in the first place!" Jeremy told her.

"I didn't have a choice, Jeremy!"

"Yeah, and neither did I," Jeremy said, anger deflating a little.

Bonnie shook her head and put her hands on her hips and asked, "Why did you have to get involved?"

"I didn't want you to get hurt," Jeremy admitted.

Bonnie's eyebrows shot up incredulously, "What the hell's the matter with you?! Stephanie is your girlfriend and you've bee panting after me like a dog since the Masquerade Ball!"

Jeremy slammed his hands down on the counter top angrily and said, "I don't know, Bonnie! I don't know what's wrong with me. I've been having weird dreams and I feel like I'm missing something. And I feel so, so guilty for having feelings for you, but I just can't stop them."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes.

"What kind of dreams?"

Jeremy ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. Just . . . dreams."

"What kind of dreams, Jeremy?" Bonnie raised her voice.

"I don't know! It's always at the Masquerade . . . Ball," He trailed off, "Everything started at the Masquerade Ball when that man gave me back my bracelet."

Bonnie felt herself pale. "The one with the vervain in it?"

"You think someone compelled me?" Jeremy latched on to that quickly, his eyes frantic. He and Bonnie looked at each other.

Bonnie swallowed and nodded. "You've been strange since that night. And it was just so . . . sudden. You've never felt anything for me before, as far as I know, and you're so in love with Stephanie. It was just . . . weird."

Jeremy nodded and bit his lip. "So, what do we do?"

Bonnie shrugged helplessly, "I don't know how to break compulsion, Jeremy. But you need to tell Steph and Damon and whoever. And we need to stop interacting."

Despite the fact that that was a good idea, Jeremy felt a sharp pang in his heart and cursed himself for it.

Bonnie's face became more resolved, "That's what we'll do for now. Besides, someone needs to tell Damon that Stephanie's stuck in the tomb."

Jeremy nodded solemnly.

* * *

Damon took Elena home, and they stopped on the doorstep.

"I guess I'm sleeping on the couch tonight, eh?" Damon asked dryly.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Thank you for bringing me home."

"Well, your ride left you stranded for one thing," Damon said.

"She was just scared; she didn't mean to run," Elena defended Rose's parting actions.

"Yes she did," Damon replied scathingly, "She's been running for hundreds of years."

"I can't believe Elijah's still alive," Elena said after a quiet moment, "Why do you think he killed those two vampires and just . . . let us go?"

Damon rolled his eyes and halfheartedly shrugged, "If I had a dollar for every time an evil vampire surprised me. . ."

"Happens that often?" Elena asked despite herself.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Damon smirked.

Elena wen to open her door, but Damon stopped her, "You know what you did today was incredibly stupid, right? You were almost killed."

"The only stupid thing I did was get caught," Elena replied evenly, eyes on Damon's, "I don't question why you and Stephanie and everyone else tries so hard to save me. So why is it so difficult to believe that I'd try the same for all of you?"

The door opened before Damon could reply, and Jeremy's bandaged visage became visible.

"Jere, what happened?" Elena asked, while Damon simply glowered.

"What?" He demanded.

"It's Stephanie," Jeremy said, "And some stuff that Bonnie and I figured out." His eyes were red and puffy from what looked to have been tears.

Damon and Elena paled as Jeremy explained what had happened.

"I'll kill you," Damon snarled and took a menacing step towards Jeremy, "I'll kill you slowly."

"Damon, stop!" Elena shoved herself in between them, "Stop it."

"He got himself compelled to love Judgy and then he got my baby sister trapped into the tomb with Katherine!" Damon roared.

"First of all, he didn't get himself compelled," Elena snapped, "It must have been Katherine. And Steph chose to save him. But let's not fight and just go down and see her."

* * *

"Don't you dare go in there, though if you go and get killed, I won't be too terribly upset."

"Damon!"

Stephanie could hear voices at the start of the cave from her place with Katherine in the far back. She heard Damon and Elena and Jeremy all viciously fighting. Over her. Over the tomb. And over the moonstone and wherever it was that Elena and Damon had been that day.

Eventually, Jeremy and Elena's voices faded and left the tomb. That was when Stephanie made her way to the tomb entrance and hit the barrier with her foot.

Damon glowered at her from the other side.

"Of all the idiot plans, Stephanie," Damon sighed, "And all for Lassie, too. Did you hear? Some _bitch,_ " He made sure his voice carried, "Thought it would be funny to compel Jeremy to be infatuated with Judgy to hurt you."

Stephanie's eyes widened.

"Yeah," Damon said quietly, "I'll find a way to get you out of there. Soon."

"Bonnie has the moonstone," Stephanie said instead of replying to that comment thread, "Work with her. Keep Elena and Jeremy out of trouble. Worry about me later."

"Yeah," Damon scoffed, "That'll be easy."

"Just protect them. Protect him," Stephanie said.

"I promise," Damon agreed a minute later.

"Good," Steph nodded.

"Ask Katherine if there's some other way to break the compulsions besides turning Jeremy," Damon added.

"Sure," Stephanie said.

* * *

When Klaus didn't hear back from his minion vampires, he nearly broke a table in his anger.

"Someone's interfering," He muttered, "Someone's going to pay for this."


	13. howling at the moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."  
> ― Dr. Seuss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or modified/borrowed quotes used.

Stephanie watched as Damon left, her eyes seeing the hidden stress and stiffness in his shoulders and back through the bunched material of his leather jacket. He held his self tautly as he walked away from the tomb entrance and up the steep steps to the open area of Fell's Church above ground. Darkness would soon be falling, Stephanie knew, and she saw the shadows lengthen in the tomb.

Her sensitive ears picked up a sound behind her and so the vampire turned her head and adjusted her vision so she could watch Katherine light a few torches that Stephanie hadn't known were there beforehand. She noticed the older vampire's ripped and ragged black dress she'd been wearing during the Masquerade Ball. Her shoes, Steph saw, looked to have been carelessly tossed under a stone bench farther in, leaving Katherine barefoot.

Katherine's hair was wild and Stephanie detected a distinctive stench coming off of the other vampire. Frowning, Steph turned away and leaned back against the stone tomb wall, sliding down to the dirt floor.

"Like what you see?" Katherine's former crackling voice was sweet and slippery once more from the essence of Jeremy's blood. Thinking of him and his injury made Stephanie's hands clench into fists.

" _Did you hear? Some_ bitch _,_ _" He made sure his voice carried, "Thought it would be funny to compel Jeremy to be infatuated with Judgy to hurt you."_

"What do you mean?" Stephanie asked coolly, barely turning her head to look back at her creator. She ran her fingers through the dirt floor, feeling the cool sand sliding through them and almost shivered; the night would be cold and dreary while all Stephanie had for warmth was her thin grey jacket and her blue jeans.

"I saw you looking at me; poor, poor Katherine, dirty and smelly, and ragged; previously all alone in the dark tomb under the town. Well, soon you'll be looking and smelling like me, because, believe it or, you're going to stay down here and _rot_ with me," Katherine spat, dark brown eyes narrowing in contempt. Her lips were no longer cracked with dryness, but ruby red and pulled back into a vicious scowl, "They're _never_ going to get you out of this hellhole, so you might as well throw any hope for rescue out the window."

"Whatever you say, Katherine," Stephanie muttered, folding her dirty fingers underneath her armpits.

The sun had fallen completely below the horizon, Steph could tell, for the tomb was inky black except for the light flickering on the torches mounted on the tomb walls.

"I wonder how Jeremy's doing, up there going crazy, knowing you're down here with me," Katherine changed directives, "For all he knows, I'll murder you in your sleep."

Stephanie decided that ignoring her would be the best way to go.

"Got nothing to say?" Katherine taunted.

But Stephanie kept quiet in the unnatural stillness of the dark, dank tomb.

* * *

Caroline sat tensely in Tyler's living room, eyeing the computer like it was acid. The screen was lit up with the gruesome video images of Mason's turning on a full moon, on a playback that just repeated over and over. She thought Tyler himself was in the other room, packing for his change that night.

Caroline winced at a particularly shrill scream that emitted from Mason's changing vocal chords and paused the video when Tyler stepped back into the living room.

"Hey," Caroline greeted quietly.

"Sorry for leaving you in here by yourself," Tyler said gruffly, "I had to make a call; Mason's not answering, though, and I'm starting to worry. You don't think he'd blow me off for this, do you? I mean, he did kind of tear out of town real quick without giving a damn about me or Mom."

Caroline's face fell and she stood quickly, walking to the werewolf's side. "Hey, hey, none of that; I'm sure Mason's just really busy. Maybe he was a girlfriend or something and they're caught up." Her attempt at levity fell flat.

"Maybe," Tyler said undecidedly, "Shouldn't you be heading home or something? I mean, surely you mom's a bit suspicious that you came over so early to my house when you'd just been here last night."

Caroline shrugged diffidently. "Mom thinks I'm over at Steph's."

"Maybe you should go over there; validate your story," Tyler said, turning away.

Ignoring the pang of hurt that stung her at the words, Caroline nodded. She knew a dismissal when she heard one, after all.

"Sure," Caroline said, "Maybe I'll see you later? I can help with something during the full moon."

Tyler nodded once sharply, "Yeah. Yeah, that'd be . . . nice."

Caroline gave him a quick smile and let herself out of the Lockwood house quickly and quietly, pulling out her phone and texting Stephanie.

She walked to her car and drove home for a quick change of clothes and frowned when she still didn't receive a response from her friend. Care called Steph and her frown deepened as it went straight to voicemail.

"Huh," She muttered and set her course to the Gilbert home, for when in doubt, ask the Gilberts; those two humans were always in the loop about supernatural trouble in the town almost before it happened. Caroline pulled in the driveway and knocked on the door with three short raps and stepped back, waiting.

No one answered though, and checking to her left and right first, Caroline eased the large wooden door open and slipped inside where she could hear voices filtering in from the second floor. She made her way up the stairs and nodded loudly on Elena's door.

There was a lull in the conversation until someone yanked the thin door open; it was a scowling Damon.

Brief surprise flashed across his pale attractive face before he was sneering at Caroline. "What are you doing here, Barbie?"

"Stephanie's not answering her phone and so I was worried," Caroline said, unperturbed and unsurprised by Damon's curt attitude towards her.

Damon stiffened along with what seemed to be Elena, and farther inside, Jeremy.

Caroline felt the hairs on her neck rise.

"What's wrong?"

"Step on inside, Care," Elena said and tugged Caroline's wrist until the female vampire stepped over the threshold and shut the door behind her.

"What happened to Stephanie?" Caroline demanded as soon as it clicked.

"We tried to get the moonstone from Katherine," Damon explained, "But only this idiot," He pointed and glowered at Jeremy, who bite his lip but didn't shrink under the older man's glare, "decided to pull a Superman and try to get it himself. Katherine took a bunch of his blood and Steph rescued him at the cost of her own freedom; she's now stuck down in the tomb with our resident psychotic bitch, alone."

Caroline gaped like guppy for five seconds. "One question first; why did you need the moonstone?"

Elena rushed to explain, "Rose's friend-"

"Rose's dead friend," Damon corrected.

Elena glared at him and continued, "Told us that we need the stone to break the connection between it and the curse that Klaus wants to break, using me. Bonnie helped up us come up with a plan to get it and everything; she's coming over in a bit to help theorize over some solutions."

Caroline let out a break and then nearly shouted, "Why didn't anyone tell me?! I'm always the last to know about everything, and it's not fair! Stephanie's my friend too and maybe I could have helped!"

"Here's an idea," Damon said, not cowed by Caroline's explosion, "You take our little compelled Lassie away for the day. We don't want him around Bon-Bon right now."

"What?" Caroline asked, "What does that _even mean_?"

"Jeremy will explain to you," Elena said apologetically, but she ushered Jeremy towards Caroline all the same, "Bonnie really will be here soon and they really can't be around each other."

"Oh, and here," Damon tossed a backpack to Caroline, who, only thanks to her vampire reflexes, caught it before the backpack tumbled to the ground, "It's a care package for Steph. Also, don't tell her that Elijah's still alive."

"Elijah's still alive?" Caroline shrieked. But while extremely confused, Caroline allowed herself and Jeremy to be ushered from the room with little resistance, all the way out the front door and to her car.

They stood in silence for three seconds.

"Okay. You wanna tell me what that was all about?" She demanded, shifting the backpack to one shoulder and Jeremy sighed, looking worse for wear.

"It started at the Masquerade ball . . ."

* * *

Stephanie was bored and hungry as she mindlessly drew circles on the dirt floor, but she perked up when she heard approaching footsteps. She stood and brushed off her jeans as she waited for her visitors to arrive.

It was Jeremy and Caroline, the latter looking silently furious. She dropped a backpack on the edge of the tomb roughly.

"Damon says it's a care package; blood, blankets, flashlights, etc.," Caroline said huffily.

"I can't take it," Stephanie said quietly.

"And just why not?" Caroline asked severely.

"Anything you give me, I'm just going to have to share with her," Stephanie inclined her head to Katherine, was a lurking hungrily just beyond a human's vision. Caroline could see her sharply contrasted against the tomb wall though, and Care's face tightened in anger.

"If you're going to eavesdrop," She called, "You might as well come up here and talk with the grown-ups."

"I'm at least four times your age," Katherine's sickly sweet voice drawled.

"Then act like it," Caroline snapped waspishly.

"Touchy, this morning, aren't you?" Katherine let a single eyebrow rise immaculately.

"Wouldn't you be, if you just found out that your best friend's locked up with a psycho for who knows how long and said psycho had compelled said best friend's boyfriend into falling for another of their friends?" Caroline glared.

Bemused, Katherine said, "I didn't compel him." She jerked her head in Jeremy's direction, who looked extremely confused at the news.

"Then who did?" He asked, puzzled.

Katherine pretended to think, putting and finger beneath her chin and said mockingly, "I don't know, maybe your teenage boy hormones?"

"Shut up, Katherine," Stephanie snapped.

"Ooh, touched something painful, did I?" Katherine looked pleased with herself.

"Seriously," Caroline declared order, "Who would compel Jeremy to like someone else, if not the psycho bitch?"

"You've wounded me with that nickname," Katherine drawled, rolling her eyes, "Maybe it was Damon for a laugh."

"He wouldn't do that, Katherine, and you know it," Steph said warningly.

"I don't know," Katherine smirked, "This new Damon's wild and . . . bad. It's sexy."

"Hands off," Caroline threatened, "He's with Elena, now."

"How would he tell the difference?" Katherine leered.

"Pig," Jeremy growled.

"Off topic!" Caroline glowered and then turned to Katherine, "Do you know of anyone who would do such a thing to Steph?"

A flash of . . . something flashed across Katherine's eyes, but it was gone before anyone could decipher it.

"None," Katherine said evenly, "Next thing of business; you three are awfully calm considering Klaus will hunt you all down and murder you for messing with his little plan."

"Yeah, well," Caroline stuttered and trailed off, "Steph and I have already been dead; we totally got over it."

"Oh yeah? What about little Jeremy? Gonna turn him?" Katherine taunted.

"No," Stephanie said sharply, "It won't come to that." She awkwardly avoided Jeremy's gaze.

There was an awkward silence until Caroline announced, "Well, I'm going to hand you some blankets and stuff, regardless of Katherine's interference because you need them." She tossed a blanket to Stephanie and flashlight, which Steph caught.

"Now, we have to go, but we'll be back to visit in a bit," Caroline promised and she dragged Jeremy out of the tomb.

Stephanie sighed as she watched them go.

She wished they'd brought her a book or something too.

* * *

Caroline drove herself and Jeremy to the Mystic Grill and they sat themselves at a table in the center of the room. A familiar dark head appeared in the doorway though, and Caroline shooed Jeremy away to the pool table.

"Go play a game of pool or darts or something," She said and Jeremy walked off silently and without much protest. Tyler joined Caroline's table.

"Hey."

"Hey. What's wrong?" Caroline asked, seeing the duffle on Tyler's shoulder and the werewolf's sense of urgency.

"This girl Mason knows stopped by the house," He explained quickly, "She said he never made it back to Florida."

Poker face, Caroline, poker face, she told herself.

"My mom's freaking out and she was on the phone with your mom when I left," Tyler continued, but then paused. He inclined his head over to Alaric who appeared to be listening, and said, "We need to be going."

"Yeah," Caroline agreed quickly as she rose and left with Tyler. She sent a quick text to Jeremy, telling him to stay away from Bonnie and stick close to Rick.

She got back an affirmative text from him and so she took off with Tyler. Caroline gave Alaric a look, and the History Teacher nodded.

* * *

Damon was sitting with Elena in her bedroom after Bonnie had left when his phone started to ring irritatingly high pitched.

"What?" He asked.

"Sheriff Forbes has officially declared Mason Lockwood a missing person," Alaric's grim voice said over the line.

"What?" Damon repeated vehemently and Elena straightened up on her bed, "Why?"

"What's wrong?" She asked, but Damon signaled for silence. Elena scowled.

"Some girl from Florida showed up on the Lockwood's doorstep looking for Mason," Rick explained.

"What girl?" Damon asked.

"I don't know," Alaric replied, "But she sure got everyone in a tizzy."

"Look, where are you?" Damon asked, pacing.

"The Grill. Caroline dropped Jeremy here too, so I'm keeping an eye on him."

"Where'd Barbie go?"

"Off with Tyler."

"I'm on my way," Damon replied and slipped his phone back into his pocket, "'Lena, come on, we have an emergency."

"What's going on?" Elena asked sharply as she followed him out of her room.

"I'll explain on the way," Damon said evasively.

* * *

Caroline drove with Tyler to the old Lockwood property so they could set up his chains for his transformation that night.

"Maybe he just stopped to go surf or something, you know?" Caroline suggested to Tyler as they both hopped out of the car, "Isn't that Mason's whole thing? Surfing's like, his whole identity."

"Maybe," Tyler said without much hope, "I just. I just thought maybe he would've stopped and called?" He was pulling out some stuff from the trunk of the car, but the large proximity between them did nothing to dull the hurt Caroline heard in the young werewolf's voice.

Caroline walked over to him, carrying some of supplies and falsely assured him, "I'm sure he's okay."

"Yeah," Tyler sighed and hitched his backpack higher onto his shoulder and slammed the trunk's door shut. He faked a bit of a smile, "Anyway . . . let's do this." He nodded to himself, which Caroline returned. She followed him as Tyler led the way down to the old Lockwood slave quarters, where they'd chain him up.

* * *

A blond woman with wavy hair and tan skin walked into the Grill and headed for Matt. Damon, Elena, and Alaric could hear her. Jeremy was playing darts over in the corner, but he was keeping his eyes on the woman with an undeniable scrutiny.

The blonde woman asked for Tyler Lockwood.

"Hm," Damon hummed, "There's the mystery woman."

"Where is Mason, anyway?" Alaric asked quietly.

"He's dead," Elena replied grimly.

Alaric shook his head and turned back to the strange woman who was causing so much trouble. "You two think she's a werewolf?"

"I hope not," Damon complained, "Being that it's a full moon and all, Rick." His sharp blue eyes darted from the woman to Alaric. "But we should definitely find out." Damon pulled a little baggie out of his pocket and shook it, stirring up the almost sand like substance in it.

"And what's that?" Alaric asked long suffering like.

"Ground up wolfs bane," Elena replied and Damon smirked darkly. He handed it to Rick and the vampire hunter looked at the ground up plant inside the little baggie.

"So, what's the plan?" Elena asked after Alaric gave the wolfs bane back to Damon, "Are you just going to question her?"

"Nope," Damon smirked, "You are going to be my really drunk friend that goes to bother the nice new girl in town. I go rescue you from humiliation and meet our lovely new neighbor."

Elena raised her eyebrows. "Oh, really?"

Damon smiled charmingly.

* * *

Tyler set up his chains while Caroline mostly watched a little from the side, her arms crossed. She looked up at the ceiling of the cave like structure and thought to herself that she had spent much too much time underground that day.

"Tell me you brought an instruction manual," Caroline said as Tyler continued to yank the chains out of his backpack and attempt to set up the structure that would hold a werewolf a full strength.

Tyler looked up with his eyebrows raised and asked instead, "You brought the wolfs bane, right?"

"Um, yes, but it was really, really hard to find, I'll have you know," Caroline said as she bent down and began to trifle through her bag.

"I guess there aren't too many people concerned with werewolves," Tyler said dryly.

"Or the smell is just repugnant," Caroline suggested with a wry twist of her red lips. She found the zip lock plastic baggie and carefully pulled the plant out of its casing. Curious, she asked, "This is?"

Tyler touched the plant with his finger tips and he hissed, retrieving his hand quickly. Through clenched teeth, he said, "Yeah, that's definitely it," He walked over to his bag and said, "I've got some water; we can mix it in there so I can drink it."

He pulled out the water bottle which Caroline took into her hands. Tyler went back to securing the chains while Caroline mashed and ground the wolfs bane and deposited it into the nearly full water bottle. She screwed the cap back on and shook it up, letting the wolfs bane disintegrate into the water.

"The hardware store said these chains would restrain up to 5000 pounds," Tyler told Caroline as he messed the chains.

"Is that more than a werewolf can pull?" Caroline asked, eyes watching Tyler's form.

"I have no idea."

"Hey, Tyler?" Caroline asked, "How are you doing?"

"Still human," Tyler replied. He walked away from the chains when he was satisfied and pulled off his shirt.

Caroline turned and saw him. "Oh, my God, you're not going to get naked, are you?"

Tyler stared at her incredulously, "I don't think it's like the Hulk where I get to keep my pants, Caroline. And I'm wearing elastic shorts; what should I wear?"

* * *

After her meeting with Elena and Damon – which had thankfully not included Jeremy, because it was awkward enough without the compulsion hanging over their heads like a dark cloud – Bonnie took the moonstone with her and headed over to Luca's home that he shared with his father, Jonas.

The dark skinned witch took a deep breath and knocked on the wooden door. She only had to wait a few seconds, for the warlock answered immediately.

He didn't look happy and Bonnie wordlessly held up the necklace she'd used to channel his magic the day before, which he angrily snatched back.

"I don't know what makes me more upset; that I should you how to channel or that you almost killed me doing it," Luca said, eyeing the witch accusingly.

Bonnie tried to keep her face impassive. "Luca, I am so sorry. I wouldn't have done what I did if it wasn't really important. It's just-"

"I forgive you," Luca interrupted her smoothly, leaving Bonnie's mouth open in surprise.

Luca opened his door the rest of the way and smiled at her. Bonnie didn't hold back the smile that took over her face as she followed the warlock into his home. She marveled at what looked to be the dining/research room.

There were grimoires everywhere: big ones, small ones, old ones, new ones.

"Elena told me that a witch she'd met coveted these, but this is just . . . wow," Bonnie said, spinning around the room, looking at all of the marvelous grimoires.

"Well, witches from all over the world have collected their spells in grimoires, making them really important and valuable to us. Most of them have gotten lost over the centuries and Dad is obsessed in making sure he finds the lost ones so that our family's inheritance stays intact," Luca explained easily.

Incredulously, Bonnie said, "These can't all be your family's."

"He sees it as all witches are family; we're all bonded together with an oath of loyalty to help each other," Luca smiled and Bonnie slipped into a chair across from him.

She smiled contentedly, "So that's why you've been so nice to me."

"That's one reason," Luca agreed with a mischievous grin that Bonnie returned.

She turned serious though as the warlock in front of her sat down. "Listen, do you know how to break the bond between a talisman and spell?"

"Well, it all depends," Luca explained, "on the type of spell used, because they're all different. But, um, I'm sure we can figure it out." He set to pulling some grimoires out and searching and Bonnie happily joined him.

* * *

Elena staggered over to the bar where the blonde woman was seated, giggling and tittering to herself. She knew her face was flushed and her hair a bit wild as she stumbled into a stool next to the other woman.

The blonde took in her appearance with one carefully raised eyebrow.

"Are you even legal?" She asked pointedly.

Elena giggled, "Nope," She put a finger to her lips unsteadily, "But shh, let's keep it a secret, okay? Are you new in town? 'Cause I know everyone in Mystic Falls, 'cause I'm the most popular girl around and a member of the Founding Families."

The woman scrutinized Elena, "Then how come no one recognizes you right now, if it's a secret and you're so popular?"

Elena made a show of looking around herself with paranoid eyes. She leant in and beckoned the woman closer. "I'm incognito."

That startled a laugh out of the woman and Elena wildly turned to the barman.

"Excuse me! I want a shot of bourbon, no wait!" She raised her hands up for time out, "Make it a double; one for me and my new friend." She tilted her head and asked, "What's your name, again?"

"Jules," The woman said with laughter in her voice.

"Right, a shot of bourbon for Jules and me," Elena nodded and the barman set their drinks down. Damon carefully came up and put some of the wolfs bane into her glass and pretended to just arrive.

"Elena, it's the middle of the afternoon," He admonished her, and then turned to the woman, "I am so sorry; my brother's girlfriend has a bit of a problem and I really hope she wasn't bothering you."

"She's fine," Jules said, "I think she should get into some classes if this kind of thing happens a lot though." She eyed Elena, who was giggling.

"Of course," Damon smiled charmingly, "but we – my brother and I – have been keeping her drinking a secret from the poor girl's aunt – it would devastate her, really. But someone really should take Elena home now though." He made a show of waving Jeremy over, and the young man walked over slowly.

"Jeremy," Damon said, "Your sister's on a bender again; you really should get her out of here."

Jeremy nodded as was part of the plan, and helped a 'drunken' Elena from the bar and out of the Grill, where they'd come around through the back to listen in to Jules and Damon's conversation.

"Your brother has some taste in girls," Jules said dryly.

Damon's smirk turned a little brittle, but he plowed on.

* * *

Elena dropped the act as soon as she was out of the Grill and she and Jeremy ran around to the back of the establishment. Elena reached for the back door when a hand reached out and shut it quietly but with a quite a bit of force. Elena whirled around and saw Jeremy gaping at Elijah.

Elena's face immediately froze into an expression of anger.

"What do you want?"

"I think it's time you and I had a little chat," Elijah told Elena, and then his eyes shot to Jeremy, "Alone." He quickly reached out and knocked the human out, letting his body fall down to the ground.

Elena gasped, and glared at Elijah. Through stiff lips she growled, "That was unnecessary."

"Can't have little brother listening in, can we?" Elijah asked unapologetically.

* * *

"There's a Holiday Inn on the highway and a crummy motel down the road," Damon told Jules with a faux pained expression on his face, "But if you like, I have a Boarding House that's almost all to me. . ."

"You mean besides your brother?" Jules as wryly, and then said, "It's really not a problem for me to stay in the motel; I'm just here for the night because I'm looking for a good friend of mine."

"Oh?" Damon asked inquisitively, "Who?"

"Mason Lockwood," Jules said hopefully, "You hear of him before?"

"Mason?" Damon asked with pretend delight, "I know Mason!"

"You do?" Jules asked.

"Yeah," Damon smiled, "He's a great guy."

"He's missing."

"What do you mean?" Damon asked as he leant in with concern, "Missing, missing?"

Instead of answering the question, Jules asked one of her own, "How do you know Mason?"

"Friends of friends," Damon waved a hand and lifted his drink, "Eh?"

Jules looked down at her glass and then back to Damon, "I'm not much of a drinker." She shrugged.

Damon scowled.

* * *

Elijah swept Elena away and left Jeremy lying under the cover of some boxes that had been discarded in the back.

When they stopped, it was quite a ways a way, and Elena tore herself from the Original's grasp. She glowered at him.

"If you'll forgive the intrusion, I mean your family no harm," Elijah said as he clasped his hands in front of him.

"Why did you kill those two vampires that were going to take me to Klaus?" Elena asked quickly.

"Because I didn't want you to be taken," Elijah said to Elena's astonishment and he continued, "Klaus is the most feared and hated of the Originals. But those who fear him are desperate for his approval. If word gets out that the doppelgänger is running amuck in little Mystic Falls, there will be a line of vampires eager to come and take you to him. I can't have that."

"Isn't that exactly what you're trying to do?" Elena accused.

Elijah paused a minute, then resumed more slowly, "Let's just say that my goals are not to break the curse."

"So, what is your goal?" Elena asked, a bit confused; what did this vampire want with her if not to turn her over to Klaus?

"Klaus' obsessions have made him paranoid and a recluse. He trusts those only in his immediate circle," Elijah said smoothly.

"Like you?" Elena asked with narrowed eyes.

"Not anymore," Elijah told her, and Elena noticed it appeared to be no skin off his back that it were so.

"You don't know where he is, do you?" Elena asked and realization dawned on her, "So, you're trying to use me, aren't you? To draw him out."

"Well," Elijah continued briskly, "For that I need you to stay put and stop trying to get yourself killed."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Elena demanded.

"Well, if I wasn't being truthful, all of your family would be dead and I would be taking you to Klaus right now," Elijah spread his arms, "Instead, I'm here to offer you a deal."

"What kind of a deal?" Elena asked, intrigued.

"Do nothing," Elena said simply, "Do nothing and live your life. Stop fighting. Then, when the time is right, you and I will draw Klaus out and I will make sure that your friends and family remained unharmed."

"And then what?" Elena demanded, not taken in.

"Then I kill him."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that," Elijah said, "I'm a man of my word, Elena. I make a deal, I keep a deal."

"How are you going to keep everyone safe?" Elena nearly whispered. The deal was so tempting, so tantalizing; she could make sure all of her friends, all of her family, _Damon,_ were all safe without turning herself over to Klaus to be ruthlessly sacrificed.

"I heard you have a good friend," Elijah said, "Bonnie is it? She seems to be in the possession of the gift of magic. I have a good friend that is the same."

"You know some witches," Elena said, crossing her arms.

Elijah nodded, "And together we will protect everyone that matters to you." He stepped forwards, "So, do we have a deal?"

Elena bit her lip and then steeled herself. She took a step towards Elijah, unafraid. "I need you to do something for me."

"We're negotiating?" Elijah asked, surprised.

Elena let a satisfied smile grace her face, "Yes."

"Alright," Elijah cocked his head and asked, "What is it that you want, Elena Gilbert?"

"My friend, Stephanie," Elena started and she watched Elijah's face, "She's stuck in the tomb underneath Fell's Church. I need a witch strong enough to get her out of there."

"Is that all?" Elijah asked politely.

"One more thing," Elena said, "Can you break another vampire's compulsion?"

Elijah did a double take. "How do you know about Stephanie's compulsion?"

Elena frowned. "Wait. What? Stephanie's been compelled? I was talking about Jeremy."

Elijah seemed to almost pale at his mistake. "What about Jeremy? I can fix it."

"No, I want to know about Steph's compulsion. Vampires can't be compelled," Elena said with narrowed eyes.

Elijah closed his and then open them again. As if it pained him to admit, he said, "A vampire can be compelled only by an Original."

"Who would compel Steph?" Elena demanded, "Was it you?"

Elijah watched her warily and then snatched her vervain necklace. Elena gasped but then stilled.

" _You will forget that I mentioned vampires could be compelled. You will forget my stumble; Stephanie hasn't been compelled because it's impossible. Do you understand?"_

"I understand," Elena murmured in a trance.

" _Then forget I compelled you."_

When Elena blinked, she felt her neck for some reason, and felt reassured that her fingers touched her necklace. She looked back up to Elijah's face.

"So, you'll help Jeremy remember?"

"I would love to." Elijah said, and his smile was wicked.

* * *

When Bonnie left the apartment, Luca stood still in the doorway until the witch was long gone.

"Well?" His father asked expectantly.

Luca turned his hard gaze to him. "She ate it up; believed that we broke the spell on the moonstone together."

"Good man."

"You know, listen," Damon said, leaning into Jules' personal space, "I'm really good friends with the Sheriff and if there's anything I can do to help find Mason, you just name it. He's a great guy and after his brother's funeral he stuck around and helped Carol and his nephew-"

"Tyler?" Jules asked, perking up. Damon filed that extra interested away.

"Yeah," Damon said, "He was with him the whole time; helped him with all that grief. You know, you haven't touched your drink." He looked at her with his blue eyes, encouraging Jules.

She smiled and lifted the glass and then set it back down, "I really should be going."

"Oh," Damon complained, "No, look, one drink."

"What the hell, it'll help me sleep," Jules toasted.

"To sleep," Damon echoed and took a swig of his. Jules slammed her glass down and her whole demeanor changed, putting Damon on edge.

"You fool. You think you're clever, don't you?" Jules sneered at the vampire.

"What do you want with Mason Lockwood?" Damon demanded.

"He's my friend," Jules said coolly.

"Well, I'm sorry to tell you, but you probably won't find him," Damon growled.

"And why not?" Jules scorned.

"You should leave town," Damon snarled.

"Are you threatening me? On a full moon?" Jules asked incredulously with a touch of ego, "How stupid are you?"

"You think I'm afraid of you?" Damon asked her cockily, letting his face drift towards hers.

"No, I don't," Jules said as she rose from her seat and slipped her jacket on, "That's your vampire arrogance. I sniffed you out the moment I entered this bar; you and your pathetic wolfs bane. You know, any other night of the month the situation would be reversed; but tonight? Is not the night to pick a fight with me. You've been marked," She warned and quickly left the bar.

Alaric joined Damon.

They exchanged looks.

"What does that even mean?" Damon asked incredulously, and Alaric shrugged, but his eyes were narrowed on Jules as she slipped out the front door. Damon chased after her a minute later, running out of the Grill. "Where is she?"

"Let it go, Damon," Rick warned him, "Don't be stupid."

"What, I'm just supposed to let her get away?" Damon asked scathingly. His eyes searched the darkness while Rick stood next to him.

"Damon, look up," Alaric growled, "That is a full moon, and whatever she meant by 'you've been marked,' you're in serious trouble. I suggest getting Elena and getting the hell back to the Boarding House and staying there until sunrise."

They froze.

"Where's Elena?" Damon asked as his eyes widened, "She was supposed to come back. She didn't come back."

"You need to get out of here; I'll find her and send her home with Jeremy," Alaric tried to push Damon towards the direction of his home, but the vampire stood still.

"I hear her . . ." Damon flashed away, leaving Alaric in the front. He found Elena kneeling on the ground next to Jeremy next to the Grill's dumpsters.

Jeremy was rubbing his head, almost whimpering in pain, and Elena was rubbing her arm soothingly.

"What's going on? Where were you two?" Damon demanded, making Jeremy wince and cause Elena to glare at Damon.

"Elijah knocked Jeremy out and then he took me away. We made a deal," Elena said grimly, "Now help get Jere up off the ground."

Damon gaped, "You made a deal with the devil?"

"I'm keeping everyone safe and got a couple of things out of it for us," Elena shot back.

Damon went to help Lassie up and he demanded, "Like what?"

"He's getting his witch to release Steph from the tomb," Elena started, and was pleased to see Damon take to the idea a little, "And I got him to help break Jeremy's compulsion."

"And my head hurts like a bitch now," Jeremy groaned, "It's throbbing."

"That's probably from being knocked out," Damon rolled his eyes.

"No," Elena corrected and Damon saw she looked haunted, "Someone besides Katherine compelled Jeremy and we don't know who it was, but they were strong. When Elijah broke the compulsion, it was awful."

That just raise more questions than it answered, so Damon ignored it. "We're still talking about your awful decision making later."

"After Stephanie gets home, at least," Elena said.

Damon winced, "Oh, and about home . . . I'd better get there quickly."

"Why?" Elena asked suspiciously as they walked around to the front of the Grill, where Rick had disappeared, and they put Jeremy into Elena's car.

"I pissed of a werewolf and she said that I've been marked," Damon winced.

"What?" Elena asked, her brown eyes wide with concern and fear.

"It's nothing to worry about, I'm sure," Damon said, waving a hand as they got into the car, Elena behind the wheel.

"It doesn't sound like no big deal, Damon," Elena growled, her hands tightening on the wheel as she backed up and out of the Grill's parking lot. Damon eyed her angry expression.

* * *

Stephanie had mostly ignored Katherine's presence for most the day as the older vampire prattled and taunted her, but she wished for freedom from her temporary prison.

Finally she replied to Katherine's taunting.

"Are we seriously not going to talk at all? It's been silent since your pal Caroline left," Katherine drawled.

"Oh, we can talk about what you've done to make Damon's life miserable, what you've done to make me miserable, and . . . well, you get the trend," Steph said, gazing at the ceiling.

"What do you want me to say, Steph?" Katherine asked, rolling her eyes, "That I'm sorry for everything I've done? Well, I'm not, okay? It's called self-preservation; I've been looking out for myself for five hundred years."

Stephanie chuckled.

"Look where it's gotten you," Steph told her, eyeing the older vampire, "Locked in a tomb forever."

"Oh, yes, I've done terrible things," Katherine mocked, "I know that. But I do love Damon, even if he doesn't believe it. I and I do care about you; we were like sisters, once."

"You care about me? You love Damon?" Stephanie asked, raising an eyebrow and standing to face Katherine, "Do something, say something, anything to prove that to me. That there's something inside of you actually worth trusting."

"And then what?" Katherine snapped.

Steph shrugged.

"You and Damon will still hate me," Katherine said, cocking her head.

"Maybe," Stephanie agreed, "Or maybe I'll realize there's still hope for you after all." Her oak leaf green eyes met Katherine's brown ones.

"You're playing me," Katherine said slowly.

"Am I?" Stephanie tilted her head and smirked just a little, "I did learn some things in your company."

Katherine's lips thinned, "You want to find Klaus? Kill him, so you can protect precious little Elena?"

"You know where he is?" Stephanie asked eagerly.

"No, I don't," Katherine replied swiftly, "But I could help you find him."

"For a price?" Stephanie asked.

Katherine ignored that. "Start with Isobel, Elena's mother. She was a research expert; she found me." She looked at Stephanie with an emotion that Steph couldn't name, and she could tell that Katherine was hiding something from her. But she just couldn't tell what.

Stephanie heard something at the front of the tomb and looked so see if it was a rescuer.

Her savior was an unexpected person.

"I thought you were dead," Stephanie said mildly as Elijah came into view.

He gave her a self-depreciating smile, "I'm a bit harder to kill than that, Stephanie." Elijah waved a hand, you are free to go, courtesy of Elena and my friend, Jonas."

Stephanie took a tentative step forwards and she could hear Katherine stop breathing behind her, anxious to see if Elijah was telling the truth. Vaguely, Steph heard Elijah greet Katherine, but she was focused on space that previously held the invisible barrier.

Steph stepped through it hesitantly, and a smile broke out across her face when she felt no resistance meet her. She flashed across without a second thought and turned to see Katherine attempt the same.

" _Stop."_ Stephanie heard Elijah say and Katherine stilled.

Surprised, Steph watched as the Original _compelled_ Katherine.

" _As you for, Katherine, you will stay inside this tomb until I say otherwise._ _You'll stay exactly where you are."_ Elijah turned to Stephanie, "You are free to go and Elena will explain the arrangement to you. She keeps her word, and I'll keep mine."

"Stephanie, please, don't leave me here," Katherine begged.

Steph eyed Katherine and felt uncomfortable about what she was about to do. Her hear clenched, but she said, "Good-bye, Katherine."

She flashed out of the tomb before she could see Katherine's devestated expression.

* * *

Elena drove straight to the Boarding House, despite Damon's loud protestations otherwise. "You and Jeremy should be safe at your house."

"Shut up, Damon," Elena said firmly, "I'm coming with you to make sure you stay safe. Jeremy can hang up in Stephanie's room while we're downstairs waiting for Jules."

Jeremy gave no protest, for his head was pounded ferociously in his skull.

They got to the Salvatore's home and carefully walked through the foyer, looking and listening for any sign of the werewolf.

"I'm going on upstairs," Jeremy muttered to them, intent on some sleep. He disappeared up to Steph's room, leaving Elena and Damon alone together as they made their way to the living room.

The silence was deafening until they heard smashing glass.

"Why does everyone jump through _that_ window?" Damon asked, half serious, half complaint. The werewolf – Jules – snarled in front of them, her teeth bared.

"Elena, get out of here!" Damon shouted, but Jules launched herself at them.

Elena screamed so loudly that Damon thought his ear drums would burst as Jules caught a hold of her arm, clasping her teeth around the bone. Damon saw red and he picked up one of the swords on the walls and stabbed Jules' side with it, roaring in furious anger.

Jules snarled, but retreated out of the house. Damon wasted no time leaning down to Elena's side as she whimpered and cried. He vaguely heard Jeremy pounding down the stairs towards them.

"You're going to fine," Damon murmured to her over and over, "Werewolf bites are lethal to vampires, not humans, and this isn't some novel where humans can be turned into werewolves through anything other than genes." He bit into his own wrist and put it up to Elena's mouth, where she resisted.

"Hey, hey, if you don't drink this," Damon said quietly, "You really could die."

Elena stopped struggling and drank Damon's blood and they both watched as the 'wolf bite knitted itself back together slowly. Damon took his wrist from Elena's mouth as soon as the wound stopped bleeding and the bruising disappeared completely, leaving the entire area healed.

"It worked," Damon murmured.

"You mean, you didn't know if it would?" Elena asked, catching her breath.

"That was a dick move," Jeremy finally spoke.

"Jeremy," Elena said, "It worked, it's fine now." Damon helped her sit up slowly, and then he just scooped her up into his arms, bridal style.

"I'll take you up to bed," He said quietly, and brushed passed Jeremy. The Gilbert sighed and went back to Stephanie's room. He spread out on her bed and closed his eyes.

A moment later, he felt lips ghosting over his.

Jeremy's eyes snapped open to meet the oak leaf green orbs of his girlfriend.

"Elijah broke the compulsion," Jeremy blurted, "In condition for some deal that Elena made with him."

Stephanie cocked her head, "Really? Should we worry about the deal?"

"We'll explain it in the morning and then there are some updates about the werewolf situation too," Jeremy said and he ignored his pounding headache as he flipped Steph and his positions so he was on top of her. He breathed in the crook Stephanie's neck. "I missed you."

"I was gone a day," Stephanie whispered as she leant up to kiss Jeremy.

"I know. Still missed you."

"I love you," Stephanie said, gazing into Jeremy's eyes.

"Love you too," Jeremy swore and his eyes roved over Stephanie's dirty, but still beautiful body.

"We're not going to sleep tonight, are we?" Stephanie asked rhetorically.

"God, I hope not," Jeremy said fervently, and Steph kissed his mouth harder this time.

"Then we won't," Stephanie promised with twinkling eyes.

* * *

Caroline had stayed with Tyler as long as she could before she had to leave the slave quarters. She made sure to come back as soon as the sun rose though.

"Tyler?" She called out hesitantly.

"Caroline?" She heard him a minute later.

"Tyler!" Caroline rushed to open the blockade she's set and saw his prone sweaty form lying on the ground in a heap. "You made it; you didn't get out!"

She ran to his side and cradled his head, "You're alright."

But tears escaped his eyes, "No, I'm not."

And so Caroline pulled him close.

* * *

Elijah let his self into Jonas' apartment. The warlock inclined his head.

"Luca's asleep. Everything went well, then? You're not expecting a double cross from the girl?" Jonas asked.

Elijah carefully composed his answer, "Even if Elena backs out, Klaus will still be drawn to Mystic Falls, if only because Stephanie is here. She's just a little . . . extra prize for him, really."

"For now though, everything is going as planned?" Jonas asked.

"For now," Elijah agreed.

* * *

~Please review!


	14. family tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "All parents damage their children. It cannot be helped. Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handlers. Some parents smudge, others crack, a few shatter childhoods completely into jagged little pieces, beyond repair."  
> ― Mitch Album, The Five People You Meet in Heaven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any quotes used/modified. Sorry this is a week late.
> 
> Warnings: Brief mention of past non-con.

Stephanie woke early the next morning in Jeremy's arms for the first time what felt like a long while, warm and cocooned in her blankets with him. She tilted her head up and watched as Jeremy's eyelids flickered as he dreamt, his lips slightly parted as he breathed slowly. Steph stretched a little and let her lips brush against Jeremy's flushed cheek, her cool breath making goose bumps appear on the skin it touched. She slipped out of the bed quietly and put a pair of jeans on along with a blue long sleeve shirt and some boots. Steph put her hair up and then slipped out of her bedroom to head downstairs.

She could hear the quiet murmuring of voices coming from Damon's room; they were steadily growing louder and the stress in the tone became obvious. Torn with wanting to break up the oncoming fight and wanting to stay out of it, Stephanie lingered in the hallway for a moment more until Elena came out of Damon's bedroom. The taller girl didn't look completely unsurprised at seeing her standing there, and so she gave a small smile

"Having a rough morning?" Stephanie asked with her head tilted to the side minutely. Elena ran a hand through her disheveled dark brown hair, exhaling and rolling her eyes.

She shifted her on her bare feet and said with a twinge of irritation, "Damon's upset that I made a deal with Elijah, but it was necessary." She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and put out her chin, seemingly waiting for Steph to take a side.

"What exactly was the deal about?" Stephanie asked carefully - she didn't want to condemn Elena, but making a deal with an Original sounded like a poor decision.

"I just have to stay safe in Mystic Falls, play by Elijah's rules and his people will protect me and all of my loved ones," Elena said steadily, "Elijah plans on killing Klaus, and to do that, he needs me here and safe so that it'll draw Klaus out. Obviously, I also asked that Elijah would release you and remove Jeremy's compulsion."

Stephanie chewed on her lip in thought and dipped her head forward, "It sounds . . . suspicious that that's all Elijah wants from you. Are you sure you didn't miss some subtext or something?"

Elena groaned aloud. "Not you too. It was a simple deal; very straightforward. Nothing's going to happen, so stop worrying," She said firmly and then let her eyes slip towards Stephanie's bedroom door, "And make sure Jeremy gets up and gets to school, Steph, okay? He really can't miss much more before the attendance office starts calling Jenna."

Not mentioning all the time Elena's missed school, or even the days Steph's missed, Stephanie just nodded her head and watched as the taller girl disappeared down the stairs. She waited until the front door was shut and then she turned back to her room.

Stephanie could hear Damon moving around in his space irritably as she shut her own door firmly. Jeremy wasn't where she'd left him; the thick comforter was pushed aside and down towards the edge of the bed, the sheets rumpled. Jeremy was standing on the other side, the bed between him and Stephanie as he yanked on his jeans and fastened his buckle. Jeremy looked up as he slipped on a tee shirt that he'd left over on a past night, and gave Stephanie a bright grin.

"Elena's already in fits this early? What happened?" He eyes sparkled with happiness and a bit of mischief.

Stephanie good-naturedly rolled her eyes, "Her and Damon were arguing a bit." Her forehead wrinkled in concern though as she thought about the conversation. "It was about the deal she'd made with Elijah. I really don't think talking to him was a good idea."

Jeremy was sitting on the bed now and had finished lacing up his shoes. He turned to Stephanie and ran a hand through his hair, reminiscent of what Stephanie had just seen Elena do in the hallway.

He shrugged at Stephanie, but the turned down corners of his lips informed Steph that he wasn't terribly excited about Elena negotiation either.

"There's not much we can do, Steph," Jeremy admitted, "She's made up her mind and already made the deal; I'm not sure I'd like to know what happens when you break a promise to an Original Vampire, do you?"

Still frustrated, but not having any other things to say about that, Stephanie shrugged noncommittally and told him, "I'm not going to be at school today Jeremy, but Elena told me to make sure that you got there." Jeremy groaned and muttered quietly, and Steph focused her hearing on something else so it wouldn't seem as if she was eavesdropping.

Jere stop grumbling and asked, "Why aren't you coming?"

"I've got some stuff to do," Stephanie said vaguely, "But you should go on ahead. Maybe I'll see you this afternoon or this evening."

Jeremy was clearly suspicious but he left in any case, dawdling a bit downstairs before finally giving up and leaving for school. The front door shut firmly with a resounding click.

"You look pensive and secretive, dear sister," Damon's voice appeared abruptly from behind Stephanie as she watched out her window. She turned her head with a frown to look at Damon's too close face. He loomed over her, most likely to make her feel uncomfortable, with his icy blue eyes piercing into her own green irises.

"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" He continued, backing up a little bit as he straightened his leather jacket over his button down blue shirt. Stephanie heard his boots squeak as they marked up the wooden floor.

"Katherine gave me some advice while we were in the tomb," Stephanie started and she kept her eyes on Damon's face as it tightened with anger and irritation at the mere mention of his ex.

"What was that?" He asked blandly, "Dump Lassie and sleep with the rest of Mystic Falls?"

"No," Stephanie snapped and Damon smirked at her.

"Then what pearl of wisdom could Katherine possible depart to you? The only things she's good at are sleeping with and manipulating people," He drawled.

Stephanie crossed her arms and shot Damon a look. "She said that if we wanted to find Klaus, we should get a hold of Isobel."

Damon threw his hands up and glared, "We're not looking for _her,_ Steph! She's a-"

"Bitch, yes, I know," Stephanie rolled her eyes, "But Katherine said Isobel might have some answers, and I have some questions, that's all." She looked Damon earnestly.

"What about Elena's deal with Elijah?" Damon asked, but Steph could see the tempted light in his pale icy eyes.

"Elena made a deal with him; I didn't. I think Elena should keep her deal," Stephanie said lightly.

Damon wiggled his eyebrows at her, "Are you being devious, Stephanie Salvatore? It becomes you, really. And I'd like to help."

"Help me be devious?" Stephanie asked with one eyebrow raised as she tilted her head up to look at Damon.

Damon grinned devilishly and the look was almost a baring of teeth, "Help you find Isobel. I'd like to talk to her, myself actually, come to think of it."

Stephanie pulled out a set of car keys from her back pocket and jangled them in front of Damon's face.

* * *

Caroline wore a modernized black leather jacket with pretty metallic looking stubs decorating the edging of the material. Under it, she wore a new black V-neck and some jeans and moderately high heeled boots. The heels of them clicked on the pavement as she walked across the quad to Tyler at school that morning.

They beamed at each other when Caroline reached him, Tyler's face a shade lighter than his red jersey.

"You did it," Caroline almost squealed, and then settled, "You turned on your first full moon and didn't hurt anyone. It'll get easier; you'll get better at hit, learn to control it, and then it won't hurt so much."

Tyler titled his head and said quietly, "Well, we don't know that for sure."

"But, these are some small victories, Tyler. Last night was a victory; let's take it!" Caroline said, more subdued, but still excited.

Tyler couldn't help but smile back. "Look, I really want to thank you. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't been there."

Caroline felt herself flushing from the blood bag she'd drank that morning for breakfast. "Right, um, next month we should probably reinforce that one wall because you almost got me that one time, and it wouldn't have been, um ..."

"What?" Tyler asked, furrowing his brow at the perky blonde girl.

"You know what? Nothing," Caroline waved him off and giggled nervously.

Tyler leaned in closer, "No, really, go on and tell me, Care."

"Well, it's just," Caroline bite her lip and shifted on her feet uncomfortably, "You see, a werewolf bite can kill . . . I mean, it's a legend, but . . . supposedly a werewolf bite can kill a . . . vampire." She looked up at Tyler through her pale eyelashes.

"How do you know that?" Tyler asked, eyes narrowing.

"I . . . I think I read it somewhere," Caroline said quietly, her blue eyes quick and flitting around. She heard Matt's approach before he announced himself, and Caroline was grateful for the interference.

"Hey, Caroline!" The QB made his way over to them and Caroline to a self-conscious step away from Tyler. She didn't know when she'd stepped that close to him. "You have a minute?"

"Sure," Caroline agreed quickly.

Tyler stepped back and said his good-byes, and Caroline anxiously told Matt, "That was nothing. Okay? There is nothing going on between Tyler and me. We were just talking."

Matt smiled easily at her and placed his large, warm and comforting hands on Caroline's cool shoulders. His eyes shined as he smiled at her sweetly.

"Look, Caroline, you're a lot of things, but you're not a liar," He stated seriously, "You've always been straight with me and I believe you."

Caroline felt herself beam at Matt, "Well, good."

Matt continued a little nervously, his smile dropping and making Caroline a little anxious, "And that's why I want to be straight with you. I think we got some wires crossed here."

"Um, okay," Caroline tilted her head, confused.

"And you know how tongue tied I get, and well, I don't like this, this whatever's going on between us," Matt continued and he gestured with his hands, "I . . . just wanna . . ." He removed his hands from her shoulders and instead cradled Caroline's face as he kissed her.

Caroline felt herself relax into Matt's embrace before her mind shouted at her to get a grip. She pulled back, shaking her head, "You can't."

"Why?" Matt asked, heart-brokenly confused.

"We just can't," Caroline shook her head again and backed away from him, and turned and fled.

* * *

Damon and Stephanie were wearing similar leather jackets and black boots as they entered the Grill together. Damon winked at the passing women and Steph's face was coolly disinterested until she found the man she was looking for. She tugged Damon away from his devoted admirers and to Alaric's table in the corner of the Grill.

Rick looked at the siblings with a half raised eyebrow and sighed, inkling his head to the empty seats around him. Damon and Steph obliged and Rick quietly told them, "Wolf's here." He nodded towards the bar.

Damon stilled and Stephanie placed a restraining hand onto his forearm to keep him from stalking over and attacking the werewolf straight away.

"She nearly killed Elena," He hissed into Stephanie's ear.

Having been filled in before, Steph's faced hardened, but her firm was unshakable, "Leave it for now, Damon."

He shook her off but continued to glare at the blonde werewolf sitting innocently at the bar. Steph turned instead to Rick.

"How's that thing we talked about over the phone, Rick?" Stephanie asked casually, her eyes flicking over to Jules. They settled back on Alaric a moment later.

"Even if I had a way to find _her_ ," Alaric said shortly, "She isn't going to help."

Stephanie nodded slowly, and opened her mouth to continue, but Damon interrupted, "Katherine told Steph that Isobel knew Klaus. Any truth to that, Teacher?"

"I have an old number," Alaric said reluctantly.

"So there'd be no harm in giving it to us, then?" Stephanie asked seriously.

"You know you can't trust Isobel, right?" Alaric asked them and his gaze settled on Damon's stiff form, "Even if it's about Elena – especially if it's about Elena," He corrected.

When neither Salvatore said anything, Rick sighed and leant back in his chair. "I'll see what I can do, and then I'll text it to one of you."

Stephanie smiled gratefully at him and Damon gave the man a curt nod. Alaric stood and excused himself from their table and made his way out of the Grill without looking back. Damon's gaze shot back to Jules, who hadn't moved from her spot at the bar. She saw them and waved her fingers cheerfully, the corner of her mouth quirking up briefly. Her eyes lingered over Damon's form for a moment with a flash of confusion, but she turned back to her drink.

"That's it," Damon muttered and he stood, making his hair scoot noisily across the Mystic Grill's flooring. The noise was shrill and Stephanie rose to keep Damon from going over to the antagonizing werewolf.

"Damon, stop," She said imploringly, "Don't start anything."

"She started it when she bit Elena last night," Damon growled and carefully removed Steph's hand. He stalked over to the bar, and Stephanie followed him, determined to at least keep him from starting a fight even if she couldn't get him to leave the Grill.

"Hey, Jules," Damon said faux cheerily as he seated himself on Jules' left. Stephanie slipped onto the stool on the werewolf's right, making it obvious she was boxing the larger woman in. The smile Jules sent Stephanie was chilly, but the vampire wasn't intimated as she coolly met Jules' gaze.

"I thought you'd be dead," Jules turned back to Damon and said just as cheerily, "What happened?"

"You missed," Damon said, smile falling. He glared, "You bit Elena Gilbert."

"Who?" Jules asked, not batting an eyelash, "Was it one of your vampire friends?"

"One of my human ones, actually," Stephanie smoothly cut in, eyebrows arched.

"My bad," Jules smiled at her, "Next time I won't miss. Or maybe I will," She turned to Damon, "You seem to care about little sister, here."

Damon's faces turned cold, "Don't touch anyone in Mystic Falls."

"What are you, their super hero?" The werewolf scoffed, "If so, this town's going down straight to hell."

"You're not going to live to see another full moon, so if you're the one whose planning on dragging the town into the fire-y pits, you can forget about that," Damon glared.

"I'm not afraid of you," Jules almost sang as she stood to leave, "Or you," She added to Steph.

"Then you're very, very stupid," Damon rose with her and stood in front of Jules.

"Damon," Stephanie said warningly, eyeing the 'wolf, "Just leave it."

"That's right," Jules simpered, "Listen to little sister. Women always know best, you know."

Damon snarled, but just watched as Jules made her leave from the Mystic Grill, stilled by Stephanie's hand gripping his bicep hard enough to bruise. A second later Steph's phone vibrated with a new text message and she quickly looked and found a number she'd never seen before, as sent by Rick.

"It's him," Stephanie said quickly and Damon said scowling at the door to grab Steph's phone. Damon dialed the number and it went straight to voice mail.

"Listen, Izzy, it's Damon," He drawled, "Call me back if you want darling daughter to live, okay? There's a jackass Original coming to kill us all if you don't help. Thanks." He hung up and looked at Stephanie's glare. "What?"

"Have you ever heard of subtlety?"

Stephanie and Damon left the Grill and were inside Damon's car when Steph's phone rang shrilly in the silence of the car. Steph quickly pulled it out and saw the same number Damon had just called flashing on the screen.

"It's her," She said swiftly and answered it, putting the phone up against her ear, "Hello?"

"That wasn't the nicest message I've ever received, though unfortunately, I can said I've gotten worse." The voice on the other end of the line made dread pool in Steph's stomach.

"John."

* * *

Caroline hauled a large trash bag along with her through the hallways, in preparation for the school's next big fundraiser. She paused when she heard Matt's deep voice booming out to her. Caroline turned around and set the bag onto the floor and waited until Matt was standing in front of her sheepishly.

"Why?"

"Why, what?" Caroline asked, staring at him.

"I kissed you," He said slowly.

"Yeah, I know," Caroline said, and the added, "I was there."

"So, why did you run away?" He asked, confused and defensive.

"You just caught me off guard, that's all," Caroline murmured "What did you expect me to do?"

"Not that," Matt admitted, "And . . ."

"And what?" Caroline asked, "What do you want me to say, Matt?"

"Something," Matt told her, exasperatedly, "Anything. How you feel or anything in the realm of truth right now would be nice."

Caroline just shook her head, "Okay, I feel . . . like I . . . I love you."

"I love you," Matt repeated incredulously, and Caroline nodded, "Then what's the problem? What are you keeping from me, Care? Look, if you love me, you'll tell me."

Caroline felt tears gathering in her eyes as she watched her relationship crumble. A cheerleader came around the hallway and called for Matt. He turned and that was when Caroline made her escape, disappearing without a trace.

As night fell, Caroline made her way to her home to find Tyler loitering around her side door.

"Tyler?" Caroline asked, confused but happy to see her friend.

"Caroline," Tyler greeted.

"What are you doing here?" Caroline asked curiously.

"I need to ask you something," Tyler said quietly and he waited for Caroline's nod to continue, "Why would you risk it, being around me during the full moon? If what you said was true, I could've killed you a number of times last night, Care."

Caroline tilted her head, "Because you needed help."

"But I could have killed you," Tyler repeated, his voice nearly breaking.

"But you didn't," Caroline said, smiling reassuringly.

"I don't understand you, Caroline," Tyler said, his voice strengthening again as he shook his head.

Caroline felt herself flush with anger and she stomped around the werewolf, "Why is it so hard to let someone else help you?" She jammed her key into the door and turned the knob.

"That's not it," Tyler denied.

"Yeah, it is," Caroline said indignantly as she glared, "It's like you don't want anyone to care about you; well, I'm sorry, but I care. I care, Tyler, so forgive me if I overstepped my boundaries-" She didn't get to finish her angry statement because Tyler took a step forwards and planted a kiss on her red lips.

It was fire and passion in one thing, and it seared her mouth, but Caroline pushed Tyler away, scowling and breathless.

"You can't do that," She said, but her voice wasn't vehement.

"I'm sorry," Tyler said softly.

"Everyone . . . just needs to stop kissing me!" Caroline wailed and spun around and entered her house, shutting the door firmly behind her.

Tyler stared at the shut door incredulously.

* * *

Tyler left Caroline's doorstep eventually, but only when he got a call from an unknown number. He hesitantly answered it, only to find it was the woman claiming to be Mason's friend from Florida.

"Meet me at the Grill; we've got a lot to talk about."

Mystified, but endlessly curious, Tyler went to the Grill after stopping home to change into something more casual. He saw the woman, Jules, seated at a table tucked away from the others that screamed privacy.

"Thanks for coming," She said as soon as he was seated.

"So, what do you want with me?" Tyler asked quietly.

"Just to be your friend," Jules said as she leant forward, and then added quieter, "I know about Mason. And you."

Fear gripped itself around Tyler's heart, not that he'd admit to anyone that's what it was. "You know what?"

"I know that you're a werewolf," Jules continued smoothly, "And your friend Caroline is a vampire."

"How do you know about Caroline?" Tyler demanded. No one was going to hurt the one person who'd been on his side since he'd . . . turned.

"You can't sniff them out?" Jules asked, and Tyler could tell she was barely masking her surprise. She sat back a second later when Tyler said nothing, "Oh my God. You're brand new, aren't you? How many times have you turned?"

Tyler looked at her from the corners of his eyes. Jules must have sensed something, for she reached a hand forward, "I can help you."

Tyler took his hands back. "Do you know where Mason is?"

Jules became cold as quickly as she'd warmed up to him. "He's dead, Tyler. He was murdered."

"What?" Tyler asked, aghast, "No."

"You want to know who murdered him?" Jules asked and then said without waiting for a response, "Your little blonde vampire friend and her other little vampire buddies."

"Caroline's the _only_ vampire in town and she would _never_ do that," Tyler denied vehemently as he glared.

Jules was unimpressed. "Caroline's a liar; this town is infested with vampires," Her lips curled into a vicious smirk, "But don't worry; there are more like us, Tyler, and they're coming. We'll take care of all of the vampires."

* * *

After his stint at the Grill with Jules, Tyler was bursting with angry energy that flooded through his veins. He wanted to talk to Caroline but he forced himself to wait until sunrise. He left his house early enough to catch her as she was leaving for school, and she was locking her door behind her when he got there.

She sensed him and turned around, smiling at him. "Hey." Caroline was beautiful, like she always was, but the affect was minimal on Tyler that morning; Jules' words rang over and over in his ears like the beating of war drums.

Caroline was reason Uncle Mason was dead.

Caroline had lied to him this entire time.

"How's it going?" Caroline asked a little awkwardly when Tyler didn't respond. Tyler could smell her apprehension as she approached him on the sidewalk. His face must have been giving him away, Tyler thought listlessly.

"We need to talk," He said flatly.

He watched as she misunderstood, nodding like she knew what was going on. It hit Tyler; she thought he wanted to talk about her rejection of him the night before. Idly, Tyler thought that if she hadn't, he might not have seen Jules at all last night and would've kept Caroline's lies from getting out.

"Yeah, we do," Caroline nodded, "I've been thinking about it, and I don't want to over-analyze it – it was just one kiss, but Matt's still kind of in the picture. We can't go there, Tyler."

"Fine," Tyler said emotionlessly.

"Great," Caroline smiled, "That's settled." She walked passed him and unlocked her car, the shrill intonation bothering him, but Tyler didn't let it show.

A moment later, he turned around asked, "What happened to my uncle Mason?"

He watched as Caroline's face faltered, "What?"

"He's dead and I want you to tell me what happened," Tyler said as he approached her predatorily.

She turned around, "I – I don't know . . ."

"Then let me tell you," Tyler hissed, "Stephanie and her brother, Damon, killed him, because Stephanie and Damon are vampires. Just like you."

Caroline shook her head, and stuttered, "Who told you that?"

"Is it true?" Tyler demanded. "Let me explain," Caroline started and a white hot flash of rage filled Tyler.

"Did you know that he was dead this whole time?" He asked.

"I can explain," Caroline started again.

"Did you know?" Tyler roared but the fear smell coming from her vanished inexplicably.

She nodded her head quickly, face crumpled in upset. Tyler grabbed the front of her jacket and used his extra strength to push her back into her car.

"I'm sorry, Tyler, I'm sorry," She said wretchedly.

"I trusted you!" Tyler said, anguished. He let go and stalked off, looking back only once.

* * *

Damon stood in the corner of the living room of the Gilbert house, arms crossed tightly across his chest with barely lidded anger. The point of his ire was standing in the center of the living room with Stephanie a few feet from him.

"Elena will be here any minute now," Steph said, and Damon thought it was mostly for her own benefit. Jeremy was standing close to Steph, and his own resentment almost matched Damon's.

Almost.

The front door was opened and shut and soon Elena appeared into the room with them. She gaped at John Gilbert, who stood unflinchingly in the center of attention.

Elena gaped. "What is he doing here?" She demanded, not a moment later as she turned to glare at her biological father.

"Morning," He greeted.

"We went looking for Isobel to help with our Klaus situation," Damon and then jerked a thumb towards John, "Found him instead, unfortunately. Stephanie thinks we're desperate enough to warrant his help; I think that he still wants to barbeque me, but as I was told very recently, women know best." He glowered.

"We found out that Bonnie's new witch friend is working with Elijah," Stephanie said firmly, and Elena nodded, remembering Elijah's admittance that he was working with witches, "And so we have to assume the moonstone wasn't destroyed or depowered, or whatever it was that they were planning on doing to it together. John knew about the sacrifice and – "

"I'm know of a way to keep you safe," John said calmly to Elena, "That's all I can say."

"What do you mean, 'all you can say'?" Elena asked angrily, "And why can't you all just trust me that my deal with Elijah will go fine?"

"Elijah's an Original; he can't be trusted," Stephanie said, folding her arms across her chest.

"I don't think that the deal was a wise idea, either Elena," John agreed, "And I meant what I said; I'll tell you more when I can trust you." His eyes shot over to Steph and Damon for a brief moment before settling back on Elena.

"I want to put it out there that I don't trust this dick," Damon announced loudly, and a second later a voice called, "Oh, God, I'm late." A nicely dressed Jenna and a trailing Alaric came into view. She gaped at John. "What the hell?"

"Good morning to you, Jenna. Alaric," John greeted them.

Jenna turned to her niece, "It's okay I'm confused, right? Because we were not expecting him . . . ever." Her gaze slid to the two Salvatore's and Jeremy.

"I'm visiting," Stephanie said quickly and Jeremy settled a large arm over her shoulders, and when Jenna turned to Damon, he just quirked an eyebrow.

"I practically live here," He smirked and Jenna conceded the point.

She looked back at her niece and John. "Well?"

"I got in early this morning; Elena let me in," John said to Jenna. He and Alaric locked gazes, and the vampire – hunter/ History teacher eyed him warily.

"I'm just going to head out, Jenna," He announced a moment later, and he kissed Jenna on her cheek. The woman couldn't garner a smile, but watched as he left.

"I'm still confused here," Jenna said unwaveringly, and then looked at the Salvatore's again. Steph got the hint, unhappily, but knew that she could listen in from upstairs. Jeremy and her quickly vacated the room and bounded up the stairs two at a time, and eventually they heard Damon leave the house entirely. Stephanie knew he was still in shouting distance at least though, and that he wouldn't want to miss what was going on in the Gilbert's living room.

Stephanie and Jeremy settled onto the latter's messy bed. Steph focused her hearing downstairs and promised to tell Jeremy everything when the conversation was over.

"I came for a visit and I'm going to stay for a while," John announced.

"Not here, you're not," Jenna said, irritation plain in her voice.

"Actually, you don't have the right to stop me."

"Actually, I can," Jenna said firmly, "As the legal guardian."

"Yeah, about that, Elena? Do you want me to explain the situation, or do you want to do the honors?" John asked, and Stephanie could almost hear the pleasure he must have been taking from that moment.

"Okay, what's going on?" Jenna demanded.

Elena reluctantly replied, "I'm sorry, Jenna, I should have told you earlier . . ."

"I'm Elena's biological father," John cut in, "There. Now you know." Steph heard his footsteps leave the house abruptly, and the door shut quietly a second later. Her cell phone buzzed, and completely puzzled, Stephanie pulled it out and looked at the screen.

911\. NOW.

It was from Caroline.

Jeremy must have seen the horror on her face because he became suddenly very worried. "What's the matter?"

"It's Caroline; something's wrong and I have to go," Stephanie said quickly as she texted Caroline back.

"I'll stay here and keep an eye out for Elena and things," Jeremy offered and Steph quickly kissed him in thanks.

"I'll keep in touch," Stephanie murmured and disappeared out the window. She saw Damon go back inside to comfort Elena once Jenna was gone as well. Steph didn't indicate she'd left; she simply headed to Caroline's home immediately, barely pausing to knock on her friend's front door.

"What's wrong?" She asked as soon as Caroline opened it, and Caroline replied just as quickly.

"Tyler knows about you and Damon," The blonde said anxiously, "He knows that Damon killed Mason; I didn't say a word, I swear."

"It's that woman, Jules," Stephanie did swear that time, "Damon's had two run-ins with her, and I met her last night."

"He was so upset," Caroline was almost having a meltdown, "The look on his face was so devastated, Steph."

"Wow, this is really bad," Stephanie muttered, rubbing the back of her neck where her tattoo sat.

Caroline spun around and stared at Steph, horrified, "You're not going to tell Damon, are you?"

"Of course not, no," Stephanie said, "He already wants to kill Tyler; he thinks all werewolves should die." She put one hand on her hip and massaged the back of her neck anxiously with the other one, "And he's not completely wrong to that, either. Tyler's going to want to retaliate, he has every right to – he'll get himself killed."

"Well, we're not going to let that happen!" Caroline nearly shouted, "Okay, we have to get to him and reason with him before he does something stupid."

Stephanie moved her hands so that she was crossing her arms now and she worried her lip as Caroline continued, "You have to talk to him, Steph, try to explain; you always know the right things to say. He and I . . . we're friends."

Caroline locked gazes with Stephanie and Steph saw the pain and pleading in the taller girl's eyes.

"Please," Caroline said quietly.

"Okay," Stephanie nodded decisively and then warned, "Don't do anything reckless." Caroline bit her lip but acquiesced. Stephanie left quickly and went to the Lockwood home.

Having been invited in numerous times before for social events, Steph slipped inside the ornate house and found Tyler's bedroom. It wasn't difficult to find; most teenage boys all had similar spaces of pure disarray.

The werewolf came in a bit later and was clearly surprised to see her. His face tightened a moment later with furious anger.

"Get out."

"Tyler, wait a minute," Stephanie said quietly, I just want to talk. I don't want to hurt you."

"Why'd you break in then?" Tyler asked carefully.

"You wouldn't have let me in otherwise," Steph replied, "Right?'

Tyler didn't respond to that question and a moment later Mrs. Lockwood called up the stairs for Tyler. The boy tried to make a break for it, but Stephanie quickly wrapped her hands on top of his shoulders and pushed him back against a wall.

"Not a word, please," She whispered quietly. Carol Lockwood left a minute later, and Stephanie relaxed her hold a little and then released him altogether.

"I think we've gotten off on the wrong foot here," Stephanie said soothingly, "I'm sorry for that."

"What happened to Mason?" Tyler demanded quickly, unafraid of using her larger size to try and intimidate Stephanie as he loomed over her.

It didn't work as Steph tilted her head up, "Tyler, we have a lot to talk about."

Tyler made to make a break for it, and Stephanie surged forwards again, "I wouldn't that if I were you. It's not the full moon and I'm stronger than you."

"What happened to not hurting me?" Tyler choked out and Steph released him again.

"I don't want to," Stephanie said warily, "I actually like you, Tyler. Caroline considers you a good friend."

He scoffed, "Caroline doesn't care; she's a liar."

Steph ignored the comment and continue, "But even more than that, I feel . . . almost indebted to you."

Tyler's eyes widened in surprise.

* * *

Jeremy ended up leaving the happy couple to themselves and caught up to the memorial service Jenna had been getting ready for. He was incredibly late, but as horrible as it was, Jeremy wasn't there for the grieving family.

He spied John walking and talking to Carol Lockwood, and so when the Mayor left, Jeremy intercepted him.

"Jeremy," John greeted quietly.

"John," Jeremy's voice was flat.

"What can I do for you?" John inquired. His voice was idle but his eyes were sharp.

"Look, things are different now; the tomb vampires aren't running around anymore," Jeremy told him, "You can't come barging in with all of your anti-vampire stuff anymore."

"Because you're certainly pro-vampire yourself," John said wryly, "Don't get me wrong, if I were banging a vampire too , I'm sure my opinion might change a little too."

Jeremy clenched his fists.

"Here," John said abruptly and Jeremy was surprised to see him slip off his large ring from his middle finger, "I want you to have this."

"It's your ring that brings you back to life," Jeremy deadpanned.

"From supernatural deaths," John corrected and put it in Jeremy's hand, "I want you to have it. Just in case."

"In case what? Stephanie decides to go on a killing spree?" Jeremy scoffed and gave the ring back, "I don't want it."

John's eyes were narrowed as he firmly put the ring back into Jeremy's hands, "No. Just in case." He turned and started to walk away, only to pause and say, "Have nice rest of the afternoon, Jeremy."

Despite himself, Jeremy slipped the heavy signet ring into his jeans pocket. Across the street, he saw Bonnie talking to Luca's father. It didn't look like an enjoyable conversation either, though Jeremy held back from interfering; every time he and Bonnie saw each other it was extremely awkward because of the now-gone compulsion.

* * *

"We're just here to get some answers, Damon, remember," Elena said to her boyfriend. They walked into the Grill together as a united front and they spied John heading over to Jenna and Alaric's table.

"Be the better man," Elena continued.

Damon replied, "Okay then." He slipped into his easy going persona while Elena went to do damage control with her aunt. Damon went to fish for any information John might have. The man was standing at a table full of flowers when Damon approached him.

"So, I think you know a lot more than you're saying to me, Stephanie, or Elena," Damon drawled.

"I don't know if you can be trusted, Damon," John said, "Stephanie said that vampires can be compelled by Originals; that's the only thing keeping Katherine down in the tomb right now."

Damon smirked wryly, "That's because the vervain had left her system, John. She made herself immune to its poison by ingesting some every day for the last hundred and forty-six years. It keeps her from being compelled, just like it would a human. Stephanie and I, however . . . are chock full of it."

"You guys are drinking vervain?" John asked incredulously.

"It's an acquired taste," Damon admitted and saw John's hands – his bare hands. "I don't see your ring on your finger, so you'd better start talking about what you know of Klaus," He lowered his voice and whispered in the other man's ear, "or I will kill you in your sleep."

John was affected. "Now, is that any way to convince me we're on the same side? First, I need to know that I can trust you and that I can count on you. Then we'll talk."

* * *

"What do you mean, you feel like you're indebted to me?" Tyler demanded once he got over his shock, "When I have ever done anything to help _you_?"

Stephanie smoothed down the wrinkles in shirt and thought about the day spent in her car in front of the school so many months ago; of how horrible and terrified she'd been.

"You obviously don't remember," Stephanie started quietly and her gaze implored Tyler's, catching his eyes and not letting him look away with their intensity, "But you helped me when I was in a very bad place several months ago. I . . . has Caroline told you anything about the tomb vampires?"

Tyler seemed mystified by the seemingly change of subject and nodded his head, baffled.

"Well, one of them was . . . a monster," Stephanie said and kept her voice even, "He and couple of his friends were furious that they'd been stuck in the tomb for a hundred and forty-five years while Katherine, Damon, and I have been running around, free.

"The vampire, Fredrick . . . caught me in the woods when I was hunting," Stephanie pursed her lips.

" _You taste wonderful, Miss Stephanie. Has anyone ever told you that?"_

" _Go to hell."_

"Not that this isn't fascinating, but does your story have a point?" Tyler snapped.

Stephanie shook herself and crossed her arms firmly and steeled her nerves. "Fredrick caught me and brought me to this house the tomb vampires were all living in. He and his friends tortured me for fun. They took turns . . ."

" _Where's big brother now? He left you here. He doesn't want you anymore."_

" _We're going to have so much fun together."_

Tyler's face slowly lost color and he sat down on a nearby chair, hands gripping the back of it tightly. "I don't . . ."

"They took turns raping me," Stephanie finally said flatly, "And I didn't want to go to school and or do anything for a while. When I finally got up the courage get out of my house, I got told some . . . hurtful things. You found me in my car in the parking lot."

Tyler nodded slowly. "I . . . remember that, now. I wasn't sure what was wrong," He swallowed, "I think I might be sick."

Stephanie continued, "What you said helped me a lot. I needed the confidence. Now, I just want to help you too. And about Caroline? When push comes to shove, you're going to want her on your side. She's your friend; stop being a dick to her."

Tyler looked up from his seated position and his face had cleared and color had returned to him. "I thought vampires hated werewolves, anyway." He was cleared relieved to not be talking about _that_ anymore and Stephanie even more so.

"That's an idea from another time; it doesn't have to be that way and you know it. We go to the same school, we all have the same friends; this could work. It's our home and it's my home too. I want this to work," Stephanie said imploringly.

Tyler's phone rang in the silence that followed. Seconds passed.

He answered it.

"Help!" He shouted down the receiver and Stephanie cursed and wrangled the device away from him.

"Who's number was that? Damn it, Tyler, who's number was that?" Stephanie almost yelled, furious, "I'm trying to save your life, don't you see that?"

Tyler's face was twisted up and Stephanie let him go.

"Now. Tell me who's number that was." Her voice was icy.

"Jules. It was Jules."

* * *

Caroline stayed in her house for a while, but got unsettled after an hour or two. She had to go to the memorial of the week anyway, so she headed over and made sure to keep her phone on so that she would get any calls that Steph might make to update her on the situation.

She went and mingled at the memorial, saw Damon talking to John, and so stayed away from that corner. Elena was talking with her aunt and Alaric, and Bonnie was around the corner. Matt wasn't anywhere to be seen, which was good for the avoidance Caroline was trying to achieve. The blonde sighed and once dark had fallen, she left the Grill.

"Care!"

"I'm not avoiding you, I swear," Caroline denied outright as she turned and saw Matt approaching her in the dark. She worried for his continued safety in Mystic Falls – he was really the only close human friend she had and he walked around in the pitch dark, and he didn't even have health insurance. Plus, she kind of loved him.

"You're kind of avoiding me," Matt told her.

"Okay, maybe a little," Caroline murmured and couldn't help a small smile.

"Could we maybe talk a little later? I'm heading to work right now, but maybe after?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'd really like that. I'll just swing by when you're closing?" Caroline asked hopefully.

"Yeah, sounds good," Matt smiled hugely and turned and left. Caroline sighed a little and pulled out her car keys. A smell her nose a moment later, confusing her with its . . . uniqueness.

"Hey! Excuse me," A pretty blonde woman called. She looked to be older than her, Caroline noticed.

"Are you Caroline Forbes?" The woman continued.

"Yes," Caroline replied warily, "Why?"

"I'm looking for Tyler. Haven't seen him, have you?" The woman asked, and any good intentions Caroline thought she might have had flew out the metaphorical window.

"No," Caroline said quietly, "Not since earlier. Sorry."

"I know that you're lying," The woman said flatly. She was creeping Caroline out, if Care was honest with herself.

"Really? How? Is that one of your little wolf tricks?" Caroline asked calmly. Creeped out as she was, Caroline wasn't afraid of this bitch. "Yeah, well, want to see one of my tricks?"

She let her fangs drop and the veins in her face crawl into view and she snarled at the woman. The werewolf shot something in Caroline's eyes and she realized too late that it was vervain. She cried out and blinked through the pain, only to see another man – a werewolf – point a gun point blank between her eyes.

"Lights out, Blondie," He said and Caroline heard the loud booming of a pistol before everything when sideways.

* * *

"You say you want to be friends, we're friends. Will you go now?" Tyler asked.

"What else can I say to you, Tyler?" Stephanie asked, upset, "I came back to this town to start a life; a place where I could have friends and build a family. I have that here. We can both have that." Her phone started to vibrate. She took it out and saw Caroline's number.

"Hey, Care, how are you?" Stephanie asked.

"That depends; how badly do you want to keep her alive?" A voice that was _not_ Caroline replied.

Stephanie's blood froze. "Who is this?"

"Where's Tyler?'

"Jules," Stephanie realized, "Where's Caroline?"

"You made a mistake, Stephanie," Jules spat, "I'm going to give you a chance to fix it."

"Where is she?" Steph demanded quietly as she rose from her seated position she'd been in. Across from her, Tyler rose as well, hearing the conversation.

"Right here. Want proof?" Jules asked and Stephanie heard her stomp around on the other end of the line, "He needs proof." Stephanie heard a gunshot and what was unmistakably Caroline's voice, screaming in horror and agony.

"Hurt her again and you're dead," Stephanie said quietly, her voice tense with fury.

"What's happening?" Tyler asked urgently, but Steph ignored him in favor of Jules and her fingers tightened on the cell phone, nearly cracking the glass.

"I hurt her again and she's dead. Bring Tyler to me; meet at Wickery Bridge. You have twenty minutes to get there or she dies." Jules hung up the phone.

Stephanie eyed Tyler, who was watching her apprehensively, and she called Elena.

* * *

"We're going talk about you keeping ginormous things like Tyler and Caroline being buddies and Tyler knowing about us a secret, you know that, right?" Damon said to Stephanie as they walked side by side through the forest with Tyler situated between so that he couldn't run away.

"You would have killed him," Stephanie snapped.

"Yes," Damon agreed, "Because that's what needed to happen."

"I'm right here, you know," Tyler reminded him, scowling.

"How could anyone forget?" Damon glowered at him and then turned his gaze back to his sister.

"I couldn't let you kill him, Damon," Stephanie said firmly, "And you're still not going to." She tightened her already strong hold on Tyler's bicep, accidently making the werewolf wince.

"Where's Elena?" Steph asked.

"With Lassie at the homestead. They'll be waiting for news."

Stephanie stepped out of the trees first, leaving Damon with Tyler behind her. She eyed the large RV in front of her and she could smell Caroline's blood. "I'm here, Jules, and I have Tyler. I wouldn't try anything funny either; I have Damon with me, so just let Caroline go."

Jules seemed to melt away from the trees as she appeared in front of Stephanie. The vampire narrowed her eyes at the 'wolf as Jules' lips curled up into a cruel smile. The werewolf stayed firmly planted in front of the RV.

Jules said firmly, "Now, give me Tyler and Caroline will be let free."

"Let me see Caroline first," Steph said, unyielding.

"Tyler comes to me before anything else," Jules growled.

"Damon," Stephanie said quietly, and Damon emerged beside her as a firm ally with Tyler next to him.

"Here's your puppy," Damon said flatly, "Now let Barbie go."

"Getting sentimental in your old age, Damon?" Jules asked, "Caroline's a friend to you, is she? Is your friend's life worth less than just handing over the boy?"

"You need to leave town," Stephanie interrupted Damon and Jules' repertoire, "No one else has to get hurt."

"I'm not leaving without Tyler," Jules replied.

"Tyler's here; he can make his own decision if he wants to go with you out of Mystic Falls," Stephanie said easily, "So, you should release Caroline."

"Oh, my sister, the peacemaker," Damon said smoothly, "Well, I let Stephanie try her way, but since that's not helped any, we're going to try my way, which I might add, is a little bloodier. So, give us Caroline."

"Give me Tyler."

"Give us Caroline," Damon snapped, "You know this isn't an even fight. We will take you."

"I'm not so sure about that, tough guy," Jules said smugly and put her fingers to her lips and whistled sharply. A dozen werewolves in human form melted away from the forest and one was carrying a propane gas tank in his large hands.

They were surrounded.

"Let's try this again. Give us Tyler," Jules said loudly.

Damon avoided Steph's gaze and said to Tyler, "You heard her; go. Go with her."

Steph reluctantly let go of the boy who'd helped her months ago and watched as he walked slowly over to the Jules.

One of the other werewolves called out, "Which one of you killed Mason?"

"Ah, that would be me," Damon drawled and pointed to himself.

The werewolf pointed Damon out, "Boys, make sure that one suffers." He spared a glance for Stephanie, but she was relieved to see it wasn't an awful leer like Fredrick had given her. "Take the little one out quickly."

Stephanie felt a flash of indignation at being labeled "the little one," but said nothing. Damon and Steph exchanged looks.

"We can take them," Damon said self-assuredly, but the fake smile on his face said otherwise.

"I don't know about that," Stephanie replied.

"Well, then," Damon said and then attacked Jules. One of the 'wolves hooked the propane gas tank up to a flame thrower and aimed at Stephanie's body. She flashed behind another 'wolf and used him as shield and he was consumed by the flames.

Out of the corner of her eye, Stephanie saw Damon ripping out hearts. Tyler ran into the RV, much to Stephanie's relief as she was preoccupied with fighting the 'wolves. Another one shot an arrow at her, but Steph caught it just before the wood pierced her skin.

"Missed me," She said simply and spun the deadly arrow back at the 'wolf; it pierced his neck, killing him instantly. Stephanie felt something stab her in the back, making her give out a startled shriek of pain. Her attacker pulled the wooden stake out again, irritating the wound as Stephanie went down to the forest floor, writhing up in pain.

She could hear Damon continue to fight, but then the sound of a gunshot rang out. Silence reigned a moment later, and Stephanie struggled to focus her eyes. Jules had Caroline up against the RV with a gun leveled at her skull while Tyler stood by, idle.

"No," Stephanie croaked and she saw another wolf prepare to stake Damon.

Suddenly, the werewolves started to drop like flies, clutching their ears and heads as if they were in terrible pain.

"What the hell?" Damon asked crankily as he ripped out a wooden bullet from his chest.

The warlock on Elijah's payroll strolled into their little clearing, hands raised and leveled as he quietly kept them down with a spell.

"Elijah made a deal with the doppelgänger; I'm here to see that it's upheld," Jonas said evenly. He turned to Stephanie as she got herself up, "You all need to go. Get out of here; now." Stephanie staggered over and Caroline clutched as Steph's arms. They and Damon quickly left, with barely a glance back into the clearing.

Stephanie could hear Jonas telling Tyler one last thing: "When your friends wake up, give them a message; they need to get the hell out of this town."

* * *

"So, is your mom home?" Stephanie asked as she walked Caroline to the door.

"No," Caroline murmured.

"I can come in if you want me to," Stephanie said just as quietly.

"I'm fine, Stephanie," Caroline assured the other girl.

"You don't have to pretend with me," Stephanie said as she leant on the door jamb of Caroline's side door, "Anybody would be . . . upset. I know how you feel right now, and you shouldn't be alone. They tortured you."

"I know," Caroline said and then tried to tease, "I was there." A tear leaked from her eye and Stephanie's firm was resolved.

She continued, "I'm okay; I'm not girly little Caroline anymore. I can handle myself."

"Of course you can, but I'm staying the night," She said.

"What about Jeremy? I'm sure he'd like to know what was happening." Caroline sniffed.

"Damon and Elena will tell him," Stephanie told her, "Now, come on. Slumber party," She teased half-heartedly and Caroline let her in through the door.

"I guess it's alright," Caroline murmured and shut the door. Stephanie discreetly pulled out her phone and texted Elena and Bonnie.

* * *

After Elena and Damon debriefed Jeremy, Damon went home by himself to find John Gilbert in his house.

"It's you," He said sourly, "What do you want?"

"We didn't finish our conversation earlier," John said.

They eyed each other with contempt.

"I'll bite," Damon said quietly and they walked into the living room where Damon poured himself some bourbon.

"I've been thinking. Personal feelings aside, Damon, I think you and Stephanie will do all you can to protect Elena and Jeremy," John said.

"I . . . agree with that statement," Damon and sipped his drink.

"I come baring gifts," John said and pulled out a folded up piece of cloth. He unfolded it to reveal a dagger and a glass vial of something that looked like dust.

"What the hell is that?" Damon drawled, barely looking at it.

"In this vial is ash from a white oak tree that dates back to the genesis of the Originals," John said, "This dagger must be dipped into the ash and then plunged into their heart."

Damon snatched the dagger away and arched his eyebrows at John Gilbert. "How do you know all this, John?"

"Isobel," John said elusively, "She's very good at finding out things. But, you know that, Damon."

"Must be the Petrova charm," Damon said smirking, "Where is Isobel, John?"

"Let's just say that if she accomplishes what she's attempting, Klaus will never set foot in Mystic Falls," John replied, "Where Elena's concerned you and I are on the same side." He turned around and left the Salvatore Boarding House without another word.

* * *

Stephanie helped Caroline pick out the bullets and stray splinters of wood from her flesh, wincing every time Caroline made a noise of pain.

Someone knocked on the door.

"I can get it," Stephanie offered.

"I'll do it," Caroline shook her head and went down the stairs. Stephanie stayed in her friend's room, though she nearly went down the stairs when she heard Tyler's voice.

"Do you know what they did to me?"

"I'm sorry, but it's crazy now. I don't who to trust – you lied to me."

"I lied to protect my friends. I lied to protect you."

"Caroline – "

"You just stood there when they were going to kill us! You just stood there! You didn't do anything!"

"I didn't know what to do!"

"You help your friend, that's what!"

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's too late. We are not friends anymore and what happened tonight? Is not going to happen again. You take that back to your little werewolf pack and you get the hell out of my house."

The house shook with the force Caroline used to slam the door. The blonde went back up the stairs to her bedroom where Stephanie sat on her bed.

"You can handle yourself," Steph agreed belatedly and someone knocked on the door again.

"If that's Tyler, so help me," Caroline ground out. They knocked again. Stephanie flitted downstairs with Caroline this time and it opened to reveal Elena and Bonnie with sleeping bags.

"We got a text," Elena said warmly.

Caroline smiled and tears started to fall again, and so Elena and Bonnie crowded in to hug the blonde vampire.

"Thanks."

* * *

Katherine used the wall of the tomb to support her body as she made her way to the front of the tomb. She was once more weak from the lack of blood, and was relieved to have any visitor at all, but this one . . .

"I know you were expecting someone else," John Gilbert told her as he waved a flashlight in her eyes.

"I sent Stephanie to find Isobel," Katherine said flatly.

"She got your message," John confirmed, "But she's busy so she sent me instead."

"Does Stephanie or Damon know that you're here right now?" Katherine asked slyly.

"No," John said quietly, "No one does. This is between you, me, and Isobel."

"I want out of this tomb, John," Katherine hissed.

"I'm already on it," John confirmed for her, his face giving nothing away.


	15. but we're gonna be sinkin' soon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "At a formal dinner party, the person nearest death should always be seated closest to the bathroom."  
> \- George Carlin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any quotes used/modified.
> 
> Sorry to all Caroline fans. She's not in this chapter much (if at all). Tyler and Matt don't figure much either. Hopefully, they'll all three be back in the next one. Someone else does make a surprise appearance, though.

Stephanie woke up from being squished in a warm bed with three other girls and a large comforter by a shrilly ringing phone. For once, it wasn't hers, so she turned over and smothered her face into a pillow. She heard Elena fall straight out of the bed and land splat on the floor.

"Elena," Caroline moaned, "Pick up your phone." Bonnie didn't even stir on Caroline's other side, Stephanie noticed jealously. Elena fumbled around until she grabbed her iPhone and crawled just outside Caroline's bedroom door.

"It's probably Damon," Stephanie mumbled into her pillow.

"I don't care who it is, they need to not call so early," Caroline whined and then nudged Steph until she looked up at her. "Look at Bonnie – she's still fast asleep! I wish I could be such a heavy sleeper!"

"I'm not anymore," Bonnie grouched and peaked at them with one eye open.

"Oops," Caroline said, not at all sorry.

Elena walked back into the room, beaming happily at her friends. Her phone was still in her hand and she put it into Stephanie's open palm.

"Damon wants to talk to you," She said, "I don't know what he wants."

Stephanie took the phone and put it to her ear while climbing out of the tangle of limbs in Caroline's bed. She walked out of the room and out of hearing distance, shutting herself into the bathroom down the hall.

"What's up?" Steph asked Damon, concerned.

"Elena and I are going on a little getaway thing for a couple of days. Congratulations, you've inherited some stuff I need done! Doesn't that sound like fun?"

"Not particularly, but tell me what it is anyway," Stephanie said wryly.

"Well, John gave me a nifty looking dagger and some white oak ash to dip the dagger in."

"And what do you do with the ashy dagger after that?" Stephanie asked expectantly.

"Plunge it into the Original's heart," Damon sounded extremely satisfied.

"Doesn't that sound like a set up?" Steph asked suspiciously. She hefted herself up and sat on the sink, swinging her legs off the ground.

"You sound like Rick," Damon said easily, "But it's a possibility. He and Jenna have to go to this Historical Society thing at the Lockwood's house where Elijah is the guest of honor."

"Why's he the guest of honor?" Stephanie asked, dumbfounded.

"Well, he's pretending to be Elijah Smith, some famous historian. There'll be a tea party and everything. Since Elena and I will be going away, I need you to go to the thing and then the tea part afterwards. Get some information and find out when's the best time to kill the guy."

"You make it sound so easy," Steph deadpanned, "How am I supposed to explain why I'm there?"

"Pretend you're interested in majoring in history, I don't know," Damon replied, "You went to college – you could pull it off. Please."

"The Great Damon Salvatore said please; I'm shocked," Steph drawled and then sighed, "Sure. Where are you and Elena going anyway?"

"Her lake house," Damon was smug, "All by ourselves."

Stephanie rolled her eyes and said good bye to her brother, hanging up the phone. She went back to Caroline's room to find the rest of the girls already dressed and ready to go.

Caroline indicated herself and Bonnie, "We're going to the Grill to see if we can't ambush Luca to give us some answers. Wanna come?"

"I'm doing something for Damon, but thanks," Stephanie told them and went in search of a hairbrush to use.

"I can't imagine what he has you doing," Bonnie said dryly in response as she and Caroline quickly left. Elena hung around for a moment more until Stephanie was ready to go as well.

"I can drive you to where ever you're going?" She offered, "I've got to go home and pack my things for Damon's and my trip." She adjusted her hold on her sleeping bag.

"Sure," Stephanie agreed, "I think I'll see you guys off in case Damon has anything else he wants to tell me about my mission." Elena and Steph left Caroline's house and drove to the Gilbert home and made it there relatively quickly.

Damon was there already with a backpack and a grin.

Jeremy was in the living room with him and Stephanie made a beeline towards him. He laughed as he scooped her up into a hug, and Steph buried her face into his neck.

"How's Caroline?" Jeremy asked quietly.

"She's better," Stephanie assured him.

"Okay, lovebirds, keep it PG," Damon drawled and he looked at Steph and inclined his head, "I have something for you." Steph left Jeremy's embrace reluctantly and walked over his Damon's side, where he took out something wrapped in a cloth.

"Here's the dagger and the ash," He said quietly, "Keep it on you or somewhere safe. I've already talked to Rick, and so he and Jenna know you're going to go the Historical Society thing to meet Mr. Elijah Smith. Call me when you get some info and we'll decide what to do from there."

"You've really thought this out," Stephanie was impressed.

"Yes, well, there's a first for everything, isn't there?" Damon said snarkily and Elena returned with some packed bags.

"Ready for a weekend getaway?" She asked brightly and Steph hid a smile at the look of love that Damon shot his girlfriend.

"Absolutely; lets' get out of here before Uncle John decides his fatherly input is necessary," Damon offered Elena his arm and she took it, giggling.

"Have fun," Stephanie said smiling, "I'll help you put your stuff in the car." Elena's phone buzzed then and Damon groaned aloud.

"Please tell me no one's died," Damon grumbled.

Elena frowned at her phone and texted someone back. "No, it's fine. Caroline said it could wait." Concerned, Stephanie followed the others out waved them off after Damon and Elena climbed into Damon's blue mustang.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do while we're gone!" Damon hollered and winked. Elena smacked him and they pulled out of the driveway, nearly speeding away.

"So, what was your secret conversation with Damon about?" Jeremy asked as he pulled Stephanie into a one-armed hug.

Steph laughed as he tried to tickle her. "We have to go to a Historical Society event because I've become interested in majoring in history. I just had to go because the famous historian Elijah Smith will be there, and you're a supportive boyfriend." She smiled with all of her teeth.

Jeremy snorted. "What are we really doing?"

"Sniffing out Elijah and possibly killing him with a magical dagger," Stephanie said flippantly.

"So . . . not that unusual from a regular day then, huh?" Jeremy teased.

* * *

They got to the Lockwood home in good time, where Stephanie and Jeremy promptly ran into Jenna. She smiled at them, and said, "Alaric told me you were here to meet Mr. Smith. Jeremy never mentioned you were interested in History." Her tone was teasingly reproachful towards Jeremy.

"It's always been more of a hobby," Stephanie waved off and smiled, genuinely pleased to see Jenna again. The woman was a breath of fresh air in a town full of vampires and people trying to one up the others because of secret schemes.

"Well, are you going to be a teacher like Rick?" Jenna asked, "I think that would be a nice idea, if you like children. Personally, I'm not sure I could handle all those kids."

In another life, Stephanie would have wanted to become a doctor, but when she was human, it was practically unheard of. Her second option was to become a school teacher or a private tutor. The idea still held some appeal, except she'd never look older enough to have her degree to teach.

"I love children and people," Stephanie smiled, "I think I might like to become a High School or College professor on World History."

Jenna nodded and turned to Jeremy, pointing at Steph, "She's got her goals set out for her. What do you want to be; still Captain America?"

Jeremy flushed bright red and the girls giggled at him.

"Well, come on; I'll have Carol introduce you to Elijah," Jenna said and encouraged the teenagers to follow her into the larger throng of party guests. They made their way through over to the Mayor, who plastered a smile on her face when they came into sight.

"Where's Damon?" She asked Stephanie politely.

"He went away for the weekend," Steph said vaguely, "He should be back in a day or two."

Carol nodded and Jenna said, "Steph wants to major in History in college; she was hoping for some time to discuss the topic with Mr. Smith."

Carol arched an eyebrow, but introduced them, "This is Stephanie Salvatore, Elijah. She's a member of the Founding Families and her older brother and guardian is a prominent figure in the town."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Elijah elegantly stuck out his hand, which Stephanie took and shook.

"The pleasure's all mine," Stephanie said quietly and Elijah lifted her hand and kissed it lightly.

* * *

Damon watched as Elena stood wrapped in a blanket on the end of the deck, gazing out in the vast lake spread before her. He walked over to her, his boots thumping on the wood quietly, but Elena didn't turn around to look at him.

"Having a moment?" Damon asked carefully, mindful of the near breakdown when they'd first arrived at her parents' lake home.

"Jeremy jumped off the deck and broke his arm when we were small," Elena shared quietly, "I have so many memories of coming here with them . . ." There was no need to specify that "them" were her parents.

She continued, "Do you ever think about us and our future? What will our memories be like?"

"Kind of hard not to, sometimes," Damon admitted, "But there's a lot of . . . stuff we have to talk about, Elena, in our future. You know that."

"There's a box we shouldn't open," Elena replied quietly.

"We could," Damon started, "Open it, I mean."

"Not today," Elena shook her head.

"Okay," Damon shrugged and agreed easily. He walked up and wrapped his arms around Elena, settling his chin on top her head. She snuggled into him and they sighed, quiet and content.

* * *

Alaric was at the Historical Society event with Jenna, but once Steph and Jeremy's initial meeting with Elijah was over, Jenna and Carol had both wandered off in different directions. Elijah indicated for Stephanie to follow him, and so she and Jeremy obliged. They walked into a room, closing the door behind them.

John Gilbert meandered over to stand next to Alaric, and the latter wished he would just get the hell out of dodge.

"What's Stephanie doing with Elijah?" John inquired.

"How should I know?" Alaric snapped.

"You're her brother's little helper," Johns aid smoothly.

"If you say so, John," Alaric replied and his smile had a cruel edge.

John returned the look, "Does Jenna know about your extracurricular activities? Maybe it's time we tell her; I mean she can't stay in the dark forever."

"You're a dick," Alaric said, continuing their smiling charade.

"I don't think you should sleep over anymore," John replied, "it's inappropriate when there are children in the house. And that ring that Isobel gave you? It's mine and I'd like it back." Alaric nodded with pursed lips as he watched John walk away. He wondered what the other man was up to.

In the side room that Stephanie, Jeremy, and Elijah had disappeared into, the Original turned to the other two.

"What can I do for you, Stephanie? You've clearly come for a purpose," Elijah said, watching the young couple in front of him.

"I was hoping we could have a word," Stephanie replied easily.

"Where's Elena?" Elijah asked quickly.

"Safe," Jeremy said, "with Damon." He crossed his arms tightly and watched the old vampire.

"They're lying low," Stephanie added, "Because of our werewolf problem."

"Oh, I heard about that," Elijah said aloofly.

"I'm sure," Stephanie nodded as she walked around the office, trying to give off an air of calm. She let her fingers run across the spines of the books on the shelves and turned back to Elijah.

The Original quirked the corner of his mouth into a half-smile, "You're welcome."

"That kind of added to our confusion though," Jeremy picked up as he stared at Elijah, "of why you're here in Mystic Falls."

"Why don't you two just focus on keeping Elena safe, alright, and leave the rest to me," Elijah said straightforwardly as he headed for the door, "If that's all . . ."

Stephanie ghosted in front of him and stared hard at the Original vampire. "Not good enough, sorry. Elena's a good friend of mine, and for all intents and purposes, Jeremy's sister."

Elijah's hand flew out and caught Steph around the neck, tightening into a choke hold. Jeremy started forwards, but Steph glared at him, wanting him to stay put. Elijah kept his hold on Stephanie and shoved them into a wall, Stephanie's feet rising off the floor. Her hand shot out and gripped Elijah's wrist to get him to let go, but he grabbed her hand and snapped it off of his own.

Steph stifled a yell, grunting in pain.

"You young vampires are all so arrogant," Elijah tsked and she gaze swept over Stephanie in a clinical manner. He murmured so quietly Stephanie almost couldn't hear him, "But I can see why he is so taken you; there is such fire in one so young."

Stephanie choked, but couldn't ask who or what he was talking about. "You can't kill me; it's not a part of the deal."

"No," Elijah murmured, "it's not." He used his other hand to pick up a pencil and jab into Stephanie's artery in her neck. She screamed that time and Jeremy rushed forwards. Elijah effortlessly pushed him backwards until he crashed onto the ground.

"I'm an Original," He told them, "Show a little respect." He offered Steph a handkerchief, but Stephanie glared viciously at him, so he let his hand fall back to his side. Jeremy walked over to her and ripped part of his tee shirt and offered it, which Stephanie took. Jeremy zipped up his jacket so no one would see the shredded part and Elijah looked at them with something akin to amusement and pity.

Stephanie held the cloth up to her neck to stop the bleeding and Elijah continued, "You should do what I say. Keep Elena safe for me." He turned and left Stephanie and Jeremy to themselves.

"He's suck a dick," Jeremy groaned and Stephanie gave a startled laugh. Jeremy walked over to her and Steph tilted her head.

"How does it look?"

"Already healing," Jeremy assured her as he observed the sight the pencil had gone in. Steph's took out her phone and called Damon as they left the party.

He picked up on the third ring.

"Casa de Gilbert y Salvatore. What can I do for you?"

"Are you drunk?" Stephanie asked suspiciously, fingers kneading her sore neck. She inclined her head to Jeremy as they reached Steph's car, and her boyfriend nodded, climbing into the front seat.

"No," Damon denied, "What'd you find out about our favorite Original?" Stephanie settled in beside Jeremy in the passenger side, and then he started the car.

"That Elijah is a scary dude with nice hair and going to be hard to kill," Steph said dryly.

"What happened?" Damon asked.

"He jammed a pencil into my throat; it's healed now, but sore, so don't worry about it," Stephanie replied.

"Damn," Damon swore, "So it was a bust?"

"Yeah. I'd think twice before trusting the dagger and the ash to finish the job," Stephanie said, "I'll have to wait until Jenna's dinner party with Alaric and Elijah to try anything again."

"What are you doing now?" Damon asked.

"We're on our way back to the Boarding House," Stephanie replied, "Take a rest and then get write up some "questions" for the dinner tomorrow."

"So, you're not going to try and kill him?" Damon sounded disappointed.

"Do you think the dagger will work?" Stephanie asked, curious.

"I think you should try, but if I find anything that says otherwise, I'll call," Damon said, "Elena and I found a whole store of information that her parents kept hidden. They were neck deep in vampire shit, Steph."

"Wow," Stephanie said as they pulled up, "How did she take it?" She and Jeremy climbed out of the car and walked into the Boarding House, shedding their jackets in the foyer to hang them up.

"Eh."

"Try to enjoy the rest of your weekend," Stephanie told him, and she hung up. She turned to Jeremy, who opened his mouth to say something, but instead choked. Blood poured from his mouth and Stephanie rushed to his side.

"Jere!" A large knife was sticking out from his heart and Stephanie screamed.

"It's . . . okay," Jeremy said, meeting her eyes and then they flashed to his finger. Stephanie looked down . . . and saw John Gilbert's ring on Jeremy's finger.

"Sly bastard," Stephanie choked through her tears. Jeremy's eyes widened.

"Look-"

Stephanie spun around but a man jumped out at her that she'd never seen before in her life. He tried to get her into a choke hold, but Stephanie let her fangs drop and she tried to throw the man off. He smelled a little like Jules and Tyler, and Steph groaned when she realized he was a werewolf.

"Get off of me," She snarled and threw him into the wall. The werewolf hopped back up sprinted at her, wrangling his arms around Steph to keep her still and then jammed a syringe into her neck. Stephanie growled, but he had a good hold on her as he emptied the entire thing into her system.

Recognizing the vervain and the fact that it was still too much for her system to take yet, Stephanie felt her body slowing down until she hit the floor with a soft thud.

"Damn," She heard the werewolf fuzzily, "You're strong; that took the entire thing." Four other werewolves trooped inside the house and the werewolf told his buddies, "Take that one; he's dead."

Stephanie caught sight of Jeremy's still body and hoped that he stayed dead until he was safe to wake up. She heard Jules come inside a second later with some unsavory tools, a large shotgun, and an infuriating grin.

"Hey, Stephanie, I was hoping to catch your brother, but you'll do," Her smile was malevolent; "It's nice to see you again."

"Screw you," Stephanie spat tiredly.

"Testy," Jules hummed, "We'll see how long that lasts. Come on, boys, get her up and into that chair with the chains, alright?" Someone snapped Steph's neck and everything went dark.

She woke up chained to a chair; the chains were thick and heavy, wrapped around his midsection, ankles, and wrists. Around her neck was some kind of collar with wooden spikes that was attached to a lead that went straight to one of the werewolves' hands.

Jeremy was still dead at her feet, skin pale and waxy in the half-light they were getting from the fireplace.

"Good morning, sunshine," The werewolf holding the leading said, "I saw this movie one time – it was horror porn flick or something, I don't know – but anyway, they had this collar and it was really cool. So, I just modified it some with some wooden nails . . ." His mood seemed mercurial, swinging from happy to sour in a single sentence, taking Stephanie off guard, "So when I pull like this . . ." He yanked on the chain and the wooden nails dug into Stephanie's flesh.

She grunted and choked.

"So," Jules' voice rang out and she appeared, "I hear you have the moonstone." The other werewolf let the chains become lax.

"You have no idea how similar this situation is," Stephanie spat out blood and laughed darkly, "Elena told me she a few nightmares after watching Damon torture Mason for this stone."

The werewolf choked her again and when Jules started talking, stopped.

"Well, rest assured, I won't be losing any sleep over this," Jules promised sweetly, "So how about you tell me where the moonstone is?"

* * *

Damon and Elena spoke to each other about her parents' for a while longer until Damon cooked them something for dinner.

"Fire's getting low," Elena announced.

"I'll get some wood," Damon told her and hopped over the counter and headed outside. He got a phone call right before he got to the barn for the ax necessary though, and he so answered it.

"Hello?"

"It's me," A grim sounding Caroline replied, "Bonnie and I found out some stuff about Elijah that you're not going to like."

"Sounds ominous, Blondie; spit it out," Damon demanded.

"Klaus has been trying to find a way to break the curse on his self without a doppelgänger for a long time and he's got Luca's sister. That's why Luca and Jonas are working with Elijah; he's promised them that he'll get her back as soon as Klaus is dead."

"I'm not seeing why this should upset me," Damon drawled.

"Elijah's planning on sacrificing Elena in the ritual; he's not going to kill Klaus until it's over when Klaus is weak from the transformation. He's been planning this the entire time," Caroline rushed to explain.

Cold fury filled Damon, "What?" and then he froze. "Call me back later, Blondie. There's trouble afoot here."

"What?" Caroline's confused voice asked, but Damon hung up on her and spun around.

It was Brady, one of the werewolves from earlier with a pistol.

"Night, buddy," The 'wolf snarled and shot Damon twice in the chest. He staggered and so Brady shot him again, making Damon go down hard on his ass.

He saw Tyler come in and heard Brady say, "Keep him down; in a few minutes, kill him."

Brady disappeared and Damon knew he was going after Elena. Tyler shouted, "Don't move!"

"Help me get the bullets out; one's going to puncture my heart," Damon choked to the werewolf.

"I don't think so," Tyler said.

"Why are you doing this, dipshit?" Damon demanded, "Someone pee in your yard, accidentally mark your lawn as theirs'?"

"I can't let you break the curse," Tyler told him firmly, aiming the gun at Damon's head.

"You know about the curse, huh?" Damon asked and coughed up a little blood. He spat it out.

"You're all a bunch of liars," Tyler snapped.

"Hey dumbass," Damon snarled, "it's your friends who are the liars; we're not trying to break the curse because it involves killing Elena."

"What?" Tyler asked and he accidently let off a shot that hit Damon in the leg.

"Arg!" Damon roared in anger, "They didn't tell you about that, did they?"

Tyler froze.

"Now," Damon commanded, "Come over here and help me." He started to pick out the bullets and was secretly relieved that Tyler joined him a minute later.

Tyler bent down and nervously reached for Damon's leg and he used his fingers to pick out a bullet lodged there. Damon cursed at the pain, but motioned for the werewolf to continue as he kept at fishing the last one out of an area entirely too close to his heart for comfort.

When they were finished, Damon sat up, "Now. I'm going to go save Elena. You are going to leave and never bother us again. Sound like a plan?"

Tyler nodded and scrambled away. Damon flashed around the front where he saw Elena sprinting for his blue Camaro. He eyed Brady and appeared in front of him.

"You're a really dumb guy, you know that, right?" Damon asked him just as he shoved his hand into the werewolf's chest and ripped out his heart. He tossed it into the trees and turned to face Elena who came running for him.

"It's okay," Damon murmured into her hair as they clung to each other.

"Tyler?" Elena asked and Damon spied the little 'wolf walking towards them.

"I didn't know what they were going to do you, I swear," Tyler said, "I just don't want to be like this anymore."

Elena let go of Damon and walked over to Tyler and gave him a tight hug.

"I'm sorry, Elena," Tyler told her and Damon rolled his eyes.

* * *

Stephanie spat out another mouthful of blood as Jules talked at her. She eyed Jeremy still dead on the floor and started to wonder if the ring was defective. Surely he should be awake by now? But Steph worried that if he did wake up, Jules and the wolves would have no qualms of killing him again, and making sure he stayed dead.

"You know what's good about buckshot?" Jules asked idly, "It scatters through the body and provides maximum damage." She raised her buckshot gun, "Where's the moonstone, sweetheart?"

"Get over it, honey," Stephanie said, mocking her term of endearment, "You're not going to get that moonstone. Not from me."

"Looking for this?"

The werewolves spun around and saw Elijah standing in the doorway to the living room with the moonstone in his hand. Stephanie watched him enter the room and lift it up and set it on a table.

"Go ahead, take it," Elijah smiled pleasantly and gestured towards the stone.

One of the wolves ran at it only to be faced with Elijah ripping their heart out and tossing it into the fireplace. Two more met the same fate, and Jules split as quickly as she could. The last 'wolf, the one that had held Stephanie's leash crouched down and huddle under his jacket like a turtle.

"What about you, sweetheart?" Elijah asked him and lifted up the werewolf to eyelevel, "Want to take a shot?" He rapidly shook his head. "Where's the girl?" Elijah asked and Stephanie shrugged tiredly.

"I don't know," Stephanie said quietly.

"It doesn't really matter," Elijah admitted and snapped the last werewolf's neck and then went to break off all of Stephanie's chains.

"You realize this is the third time I've saved your life now," Elijah sated as he left the room. Stephanie got up from the chair and limped over to Jeremy's side and the boy finally started to wake up.

"You're okay," Stephanie sighed, relieved, "I was starting to worry. When did John give you his ring, Jeremy?"

"As soon as he got to town," Jeremy admitted, sitting up and rubbing his abdomen. Steph's phone rang and she quickly answered it.

"Hey, Steph. I've got some bad news."

"What is it, Damon?" Stephanie asked, rubbing her forehead, "I don't think I can take much bad news right now."

"Elijah's been planning on sacrificing Elena this whole time," Damon said darkly, "So I think I'll keep Elena out of town for another day or so. You can handle the home front? Attempting to kill 'Lijah and all?"

"Yeah," Stephanie said quietly and eyed the chair she'd been tortured in that day.

"Try not to get yourself killed, alright," Damon told her.

"Oh, it's been a day for that," Stephanie said wryly.

"Why? What happened to you?" Damon asked.

"Jules came looking for the moonstone; there was a reenactment in our living room of what I imagine what happened to Mason," Stephanie said and Jeremy shot her an alarmed look.

"What the hell?" Damon asked.

"Yeah, but Elijah saved me again, so . . ." Stephanie trailed off, "I'm going to let you go. Have you told Elena what you told me?"

"About to," Damon said, "And don't change the subject."

"Bye, Damon," Steph hung up and turned her phone on silent. She turned to Jeremy, "So, let's clean up."

"Yeah, sure," Jeremy said quietly, "But do you want to talk?"

"I'm fine," Stephanie said, "Let's just get this place fixed up and then we can go to bed. Tomorrow we have a dinner party to go to and an attempt on Elijah's life to make."

Jeremy nodded and helped Stephanie roll up the rug and get rid of the chains. Stephanie drank some stored animal blood and showered. After, they climbed up the stairs and fell into Steph's bed, curling around each other.

"Are you sure that you're okay?" Jeremy asked tentatively as his left hands gently stroked Steph's long hair. She nodded her head and Jeremy felt the motion on his chest, as the small vampire was tucked into his embrace.

"I'm fine," She murmured, "Stop worrying about me, Jeremy."

The teenage boy laughed dryly, "Do you realize how impossible that is? I can't _not_ worry about you, Steph. You're . . . the sweetest, kindest, most courageous girl that I know and I'm so in love with you that sometime it hurts. When you get kidnapped or tortured and I can't do _anything_ to help, do you know how that makes me feel? It kills me, Steph."

Stephanie tilted her head up and looked at Jeremy with wide eyes, making the human flush.

"That's one of . . . I love you, Jeremy, and I worry about you all the time; I worry of what will happen one day because you're with me. It's so dangerous and you could be killed at any time because of me and this vampire mess that you're involved in now. _You're_ the brave one." Her eyes were bright as she gently kissed Jeremy's pink lips.

Jeremy put a hand on the back of Stephanie's neck and brought her closer to him, which made her respond by kissing him with more passion, trying to convey her love in a single fervent action. They broke away a moment later, hearts beating fast and Jeremy was short of breath.

"Night," Jeremy kissed Stephanie slowly on her lips one more time.

"Night," Stephanie breathed back and fell asleep listening to Jeremy's steady heartbeat in her ear, comforting her.

Jeremy woke up in the morning and carefully moved so he wouldn't jar Steph from her slumber as he got up from the bed. He wandered around quietly and let his eyes stray around Stephanie's bedroom. Despite having spent many a night there, he'd never trifled through Steph's things because he'd worried about being nosy.

Taking a risk that morning, Jeremy walked over to Stephanie's book shelf and looked at the spines of the multiple books that sat there. Many of them were leather bound books, including several that only had numbers on their spines. Frowning, Jeremy looked closer and saw that they were dates. He ran his fingers over the engraved years and his eyes searched. Up on the top shelf and the very first on the left hand side was a date Jeremy had heard vaguely about, but never particularly as privy to as Elena had been: 1864.

Tentatively looking over his shoulder at Steph's still form, Jeremy debated with himself over whether or not to reach for the book. Making a snap decision, Jeremy plucked the journal from the shelf and sat down on the ground quietly and turned to the first page.

It started on January first, and Stephanie said that the journal had been a News Years' gift from a boy called Reid Cartwright.

_Reid is an arrogant, but honest man, and I'm sure he will surely bring honor to his family name. But he's also . . . boring. Father has been actively searching for me a suitor since I was sixteen, but he has been keeping his eyes peeled since my early birth. Father especially likes Reid, who has been groomed by his father to take over their family plantation._

_Reid's mother and father have been circling me since we were children, having wanted their son to take my hand in marriage for a long time. Father says it is good taste and that they come from a good, steady family, and that they're old money._

_Damon thinks that Reid is "as annoying as a whiny, high-maintenance coon hound."_

_While I am not disinclined to agree, I find myself wanting to break for the norm; I do not want to be a housewife that waits on her husband and takes care of his multiple children. That is not to say that I do not enjoy little ones and wouldn't want any of my own, but I know what Reid is like. He has a controlling personality and would never stand for me to be want I want to be: a teacher or a nurse._

Jeremy didn't know whether to laugh at Damon's description of Stephanie's apparent suitor, or be upset at the fact that Steph had had suitors at all. The fact that it bothered him was irrational, he knew, but he still found himself a little jealous of this mostly unknown man. Through, from the sounds of it, Stephanie wasn't having any of it. Chuckling, Jeremy skipped forwards until he reached towards the end of the book.

_The sensations were astounding. I could see everything, feel everything, and_ taste _everything. And nothing tasted better than the life giving liquid that I drink now,_

_Blood._

_It's all I can think about and it consumes my thoughts and sometimes my very being. It's all that I want, all that I need._

_Damon is different._

_He doesn't lust after as much as I do, which I find disconcerting. I think he worries about me._

Jeremy frowned, uncomfortable, and skipped a little farther ahead in time.

_I killed Thomas and Honoria Fell with Jonathan Gilbert yesterday._

"Find anything you like?"

Jeremy jumped and spun around, dropping the leather bound journal onto the floor from stiff fingers. Stephanie stood in one of Jeremy's shirts that hung down almost to her knees. She was watching him warily, her eyes zeroing in on the fallen book.

"I am so, so, sorry," Jeremy apologized profusely, "I just . . . I was curious," He finished lamely and winced at his own confession.

"You have questions?" Stephanie asked as she stooped and picked up the journal, straightening in and sliding it carefully back onto her shelf that was short enough to be comfortable for her own height.

"Um," Jeremy said, "You killed some of the Founding Families?"

"I killed all of them," Stephanie said with so inflection in her tone, her voice dead, "Damon helped some. He took pleasure helping kill our father, I'm sure."

"Was it for revenge?" Jeremy asked, tilting his head. He didn't know where to look.

"Some," Stephanie said, "But mostly it was because of the bloodlust. Damon and I didn't have anyone to teach us what to do when we were young vampires. So we made up our own rules."

"What happened?" Jeremy asked quietly.

"Damon had it more under control than I did, you have to understand," Steph explained first, her eyes meeting Jeremy's dead on, "I still have lousy control and it's why I have to keep everything balance between animal blood so I don't have too much human blood in me. If I did, I . . . went off the rails, so to speak."

"How'd you stop?" Jeremy asked, horrified but curious. He ignored the voice in the back of his mind that screamed at him, _Curiosity killed the cat!_

"Lexi found us and helped me get it under control," Stephanie said.

Jeremy took in the new information but reveled in the fact that it didn't change his perception of Stephanie all that much. That had been her past; she was there now, with him, and had everything under control. She was still Stephanie.

"So, you had suitor called Reid?" Jeremy asked not so subtlety.

Stephanie rolled her eyes, but Jeremy could tell she was pleased with the subject change and Jeremy's consequential acceptance of part of her darker past.

"Yes. Let's not talk about him; I'd much rather get a plan for tonight."

* * *

Elena turned the page of the journal of Jonathan Gilbert from 1864, growing slightly horrified as she read. She heard the sliding glass door open and she turned her head to see Damon sauntering back inside.

"I called Stephanie to check up on their progress," He explained, but then eyed the journal. His face held no trace of the explosive anger it had had last night when Elena had explained she'd known of the clause in Elijah's deal.

"Are you still mad?" Elena asked, for the moment ignoring Damon's first words.

Damon narrowed his eyes. "Why would I be mad? You're not going to sacrifice yourself, so it's not a problem."

"Damon," Elena said firmly, "You cannot make my decisions for me. It's my life and I've already decided what I'm going to do here, and you can't make me change my mind."

"I'm not going to change your mind," Damon said, shrugging, "You're just not doing it because we're going to find a way out of his deal."

"How?" Elena asked, narrowing her own eyes.

"I gave a magic dagger to Steph. She and Jeremy are going to kill Elijah with it tonight," Damon was almost gleeful.

"What?!" Elena shot up, "That's dangerous! We have to get back home and stop them for they get themselves killed!"

Damon rolled his eyes and snatched up the journal of Elena's ancestor. "What are you reading this for?"

"Damon! Stop changing the subject; this is serious!" Elena growled.

"It is serious," Damon said, turning icy eyes to his girlfriend, "Because you want to be a martyr. I'm not letting them happen. Stephanie and Jeremy aren't letting that happen. They're going to kill Elijah and you'll be safe until Klaus comes to town, and then we'll do the same to him. End of story."

Elena huffed and threw her hands up, "Why aren't we there helping them, at least?"

"I needed to keep you safe," Damon said unapologetically, "and I trust Stephanie to do the job. Alaric's going to help her and I'm sure Lassie's there too. So," Damon continued on a more lighthearted note. He turned back to the journal and looked it over, "What does Johnny boy have to say?"

Elena crossed her arms across her chest and watched Damon open the journal and skim a few pages.

"A lot, actually. There's quite a bit in there that isn't in any of the other Founding Families' journals too. Stuff that neither you nor Steph have told me."

"What do you want me to say? We killed the Founding Families, one by one. I was still secretly pissed at them for 'killing' Katherine. I was even more pissed that I had been killed and turned into a vampire," Damon replied, "I wanted revenge and so did Steph. Of course, we didn't know about those nifty little Gilbert rings that bring people back from the dead yet, so we didn't know Jonathan was still alive. Lucky for you, I guess," Damon said and then winced a little.

"He described Steph as a monster," Elena said quietly, "A demon that looked like an angel."

"It's what we were," Damon said simply, but his icy eyes were carefully pinned to Elena's face with the utmost seriousness, "We were both horrible monsters, but I'll admit that Stephanie took it to another level. She relished in becoming a vampire in those early weeks, Elena."

_Damon stepped lightly in the house, smelling the blood and hearing the trilling laughter before seeing anything. He carefully walked around the corner and found Stephanie drinking from a young man. There were three others, one of which was playing a tune on the piano. All of them were splattered in blood, but none more so that Stephanie was._

_She'd forgone all of the voluminous skirts, petticoats, and frames, wearing only her corset and the bloodstained dress. Her heels that brought her up to Damon's chin had been haphazardly thrown across the room._

" _If you don't pick up the tempo, you're going to lose your head," Damon heard her murmur to the piano player. Instantly, the young man playing started up faster and faster._

_Damon peered closer and noticed the curly red hair of him and recognized him as one of Stephanie's most persistent and arrogant suitors, Reid Cartwright. His gaze was blank, indicating compulsion._

" _Company, sister?" Damon asked neutrally._

" _I have enough to share, relax, brother," Steph drawled, licking her bloodstained lips._

" _Are you mad, bringing them here, Stephanie?" Damon asked furiously. He looked at his baby sister with something akin to guilt. If only he hadn't offered his hand to Stephanie. If only he hadn't persuaded her to turn with him. Maybe she wouldn't be this different person._

_But she would have been dead, which isn't something Damon wanted to contemplate._

" _If you're worried about the founding families, don't," Steph interrupted his thoughts, "We've taken care of them all. Or, we will, in any case."_

" _I don't care if you feed from people, Stephanie, but you can't do it like this! We need to be careful," Damon snapped. Like Katherine was careful, went unsaid, but Stephanie's face still tightened in anger at the thought of the then deceased vampire._

_He walked around the room and compelled the human men to leave and forget ever being there or meeting Stephanie and Damon as they were._

" _Don't be like that, Damon," Stephanie said, green eyes flashing, "It is all just in good fun."_

"' _All in good fun?'" Damon asked, sneering, "This is not all in good fun, Steph! You're going to get us killed if you're not careful."_

Elena watched Damon with large brown eyes that were widened in shock.

"That . . . happened?"

"I can't make this stuff up, Elena," Damon smirked.

"But Steph's so . . . in control. And you were the one holding her back? How did that get switched to her being in control and you . . . being you?" Elena asked as she unconsciously moved closer to Damon.

"I should take offense to that, but yes, well, stuff happens and people change. Luckily for us, Lexi taught Steph the ways of love and humanity again and helped her get onto her half-bunny diet," Damon said smoothly, "So there's nothing to worry about again. We moved on, checked out New York at one point and everything was fantastic."

Elena nodded, but was contemplative.

"Can we still look through Jonathan's journal? We might find something we could use for Klaus problem," Elena suggested and was happy when Damon obliged, sliding on the bed with her.

* * *

Stephanie carried a duffle bag on her shoulder and headed down the tomb, motioning for Jeremy to wait up top for her. He was irritated, but knew that Steph was more likely to get information out of Katherine alone.

"Knock, knock," Stephanie called, and stepped in front of the line where Katherine could not cross. "I've brought you some clothes, blankets, and some blood."

"What do you want, Stephanie?" Katherine croaked from her place slumped on the ground.

"Your old friend John Gilbert's back in town. I called the number that you gave me, the one you said was Isobel's," Stephanie said with narrowed eyes, "Instead of Isobel, I got John."

"Why did he come?" Katherine asked as she heaved herself up into a sitting position.

"He said he wants to protect Elena from Klaus," Steph said and watched the almost imperceptible flinch Katherine gave at the mention. She pretended it didn't happen and chuckled at the mention of John wanting to protect his daughter.

"He mentioned an old wise tale," Steph started cautiously, "about how to kill an Original."

"You want to know if it's true," Katherine arched an eyebrow, "Even if it was, I wouldn't tell you."

"I know that you're upset with me for letting Elijah leave you in here, but I also know that you want Klaus and Elijah as much as I do," Stephanie accused.

"Klaus? Of course I want him dead," Katherine snapped, "Elijah? No. He's compelled me to stay in here. If he dies, I'm stuck in here forever."

"Excuse me if I don't feel any pity," Stephanie snapped back, "if you're stuck in here for the rest of eternity."

"Well, in any case, going after Elijah would be a suicide mission," Katherine said airily as she stood and limped over to the clothes Steph had put inside the tomb. "You won't be able to kill him."

"I will," Stephanie said firmly.

"You won't," Katherine said, shaking her head.

"Not even with a dagger and some white oak ash?" Steph asked aloofly. She watched as Katherine stilled. Got you.

"No, Stephanie, if you kill Elijah, then I'm stuck in here forever," Katherine said breathlessly.

"You're terrified," Stephanie murmured in realization.

"Please, just let me out of the tomb first," Katherine begged, "Then I'll help you kill Elijah or save Elena. I'll do anything."

"If I let you out of here," Steph said, her head clearing of any doubts, "You'll be running without a backwards glance to Mystic Falls, sipping some margaritas on a remote island somewhere halfway around the globe."

"That's not true," Katherine said quickly, "I'll stay. Please, just please don't do anything."

"Thanks Katherine, for the information," Stephanie said quietly and turned to leave.

"I didn't give you anything," Katherine denied vehemently.

"You did, actually," Stephanie told her, "You confirmed that Originals can be killed. This is exactly why I came down here. Thanks."

She flashed back up to the surface and gave Jeremy a quick grin.

"Ready for a dinner party?"

* * *

"This is a bad idea, you know that right? Damon's ideas are always bad," Alaric told Stephanie and Jeremy quietly.

The dinner party was being hosted at the Gilbert's home. Jenna setting the dishes in the dining room while Alaric cornered Steph and Jeremy in the hallway.

"Don't worry," Stephanie reassured him, "Everything will be fine. Damon did his research and I did mine."

"I don't like the idea of Elijah being in the same house as Jenna," Alaric admitted.

"Aunt Jenna will be fine, Rick," Jeremy spoke to his teacher, "Nothing's going to happen to her or me or you or Stephanie."

"I still don't like this," Alaric stood firm; "I know that something's going to happen."

"Relax," Stephanie said quietly, "We've got a handle on this."

Alaric sighed, but went on inside to the dining room, leaving the couple in the hallway.

"Elijah's faster and stronger than me, but we can do this," Stephanie assured Jeremy, "I have the dagger and I dipped it into some of the oak ash before we left the Boarding House."

"We can do this," Jeremy said, a little enthused. He was glad that they were finally getting rid of Elijah, though he did feel slightly indebted to the vampire. After all, Elijah had freed Jeremy from the compulsion that had plagued him. They had never been sure of who had done it, but it had been pushed the edges of all of their minds with other more pressing threats.

They wandered out of the hall in time to hear the doorbell ring.

"John," They heard Jenna said flatly, "What are you doing here?"

'John,' Steph and Jeremy mouthed to each other. They quickly went to go see what was happening. John stood in the foyer, talking to Jenna and Rick with a wine bottle in hand. He stepped farther in and headed to the kitchen a moment later.

Everyone followed but Stephanie, who heard someone knock on the door. She quietly walked over and answered it, finding Elijah standing on the front step.

"Elijah, nice of you to make it," Steph said, nodding at the older vampire, "Come in."

"One moment of your time before, if you please," Elijah said quietly, "If you have any dishonorable intentions with this dinner towards me this evening, please dispel of any notion that it will come to fruition."

"Of course not," Stephanie smiled, "Just . . . getting to know you."

"That's good," Elijah nodded and stepped in through the door, "Because Elena and I have this deal that if you so much as make one move to cross me, I'll kill you and I'll kill everyone in this house. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," Stephanie said grim-faced.

"Jenna!" Elijah greeted happily and Steph noticed the woman round the corner, "It's good to see you."

"And you," Jenna beamed, "Come on in the dining room. I'm sorry to say that John came around, though."

"The more the merrier," Elijah said easily. Everyone got settled in the dining room and glasses were dispersed and food handed out. Jeremy reached for a wine flute, but his hand was stilled by Jenna's fierce look sent his way.

She sent a teasing look to Steph, "According to Elijah, your family is really a founder of Mystic Falls, Stephanie."

"Really?" Steph asked idly, sharp eyes flashing to Elijah and back to Jenna.

"Well," Elijah said with a slight smile, "as I was saying to Jenna earlier, a small fraction of settlers moved to the area from the Salem Witch Trials in the 1690s. Over the next few years they created a community where they could feel safe from persecution."

"Because they were witches," Jenna said with an affected spooky voice.

"There's no proof of that," Jeremy said skeptically to his aunt, though he and Steph shared an amused look with each other.

"Okay, mister," Jenna said, "who has been drawing monsters since they were five here?"

"They're just drawings, Jenna," Jeremy said while smiling and rolling his eyes, "Doesn't mean I think they're real."

Jenna just shook her head, amused.

"Well," Elijah interjected, "The lore says that there was this wave of anti-witch hysteria that broke out in a neighboring settlement. The witches were rounded up and tied to stakes and burned together. It's said that their screams were heard for miles around as they were consumed by the fire. I'd like to know where the incident occurred. Could you pass the salt?" Alaric sipped his drink, looking a bit repulsed with the story, and gave Rick the salt shaker.

"It's starting to sound a little like a ghost story to me," John said take a swig of his wine.

"So, do you want to know the location of the alleged massacres?" Stephanie asked, eyes sparkling as she watched Elijah consider his response.

"Healthy historians' curiosity, of course," Elijah finally said.

"Of course," Jeremy agreed.

* * *

"What's that?"

"What's what?"

"That, right there," Damon pointed, "He researched the Originals."

"You're kidding," Elena said and found the paragraph it started on. They flipped through the next few pages, but it just went on and on and on. "Look at all the questions and theories he's written down here." She paused on an illustration.

"Is that . . . ?" She trailed off and looked up at Damon's face.

"The dagger Uncle John gave me," Damon said, eyeing the picture, "That I gave to Steph to kill Elijah with."

"John gave that to you?" Elena asked, confused, but Damon gestured for her to keep reading. She did, but not before giving him a dirty look , "'The wood from one tree and one tree only,'" Elena started to read from the page the illustration was on, "'an ancient white oak, would bring death to an Original vampire. When the tree burned, all hope was thought lost.'"

She turned to Damon, who said, "He was trying to figure out how to kill an Original."

Elena continued to read on, "'But the ash from the tree was saved and witches forged the dagger, which was able to be bonded. This alchemic bond provides the necessary poison . . . '" She stopped and gasped, horrified.

"What is it?" Damon demanded, spinning t look at her.

"'The dagger must be wielded by a human alone, for it will bring death to all demons who wield it!'" Elena finished and Damon snatched up the journal and re-read the passage.

"John was trying to get me killed!" Damon exclaimed, "And then I gave it to Steph to use!" He dug out his phone immediately. He dialed Steph's number but it just rang and rang.

"Damn it," He growled and sent her a text instead, and then for good measure, sent one to Jeremy.

* * *

"Who's up for some more historical conversation?" Jeremy suggested to the table at large, "I know I am."

"Good idea," Jenna said, but she eyed Jeremy oddly, turning to John and said flatly, "You want to help take care of the dishes?"

"Sure," John said only slightly disappointed looking.

"I can help," Alaric suggested to Jenna, who shook her head.

"I've got it."

"Alright. Um, are you okay?" Alaric asked her.

"I'm fine, Rick."

She walked away into the kitchen, while Jeremy, Steph, and Elijah headed to the living room. Alaric saw John watching him. The man walked over.

"I suspect this is my fault," He said.

"What did you do now?" Alaric demanded.

"I merely mentioned that you may not have been completely honest with her about your dead wife," John said almost gleefully.

"You son of a bitch," Rick growled and snatched the other man's shirtfront.

John shook him off, "I think I've been very clear with you, Rick. I want my ring back." He turned and walked out of the dining room. Rick's phone started to ring shrilly a moment later.

"Hello?" He paused, "Slow down, slow down. Damon?"

* * *

"So, let me guess," Stephanie drawled, "In addition to vampires, werewolves, doppelgängers, and the lion, witch, and the wardrobe, you need to find this witch burial ground." She could feel the blade of the dagger rubbing her thigh from where she'd holstered it under his skirt.

"Since we've grown so close Stephanie, I'll tell you. Yes," Elijah said, "Do you know where it is?"

"Maybe," Jeremy interjected, "If you tell us what you want it for. I mean, come on. What do you really need to kill this Klaus guy?"

"We're not that close," Elijah said flatly.

Alaric burst into the living room and announced, "We forgot dessert." Elijah eyed Alaric for a few tension filled moments before nodding and he left the three to themselves.

Alaric pointed at Stephanie and mimed stabbing someone. Steph shrugged, irritated; she'd almost had a clear shot to kill Elijah. Alaric got a pen and paper and scribbled on it.

THE DAGGER WILL KILL YOU IF YOU USE IT.

Stephanie scowled furiously and showed Jeremy the note. The boy raised an eyebrow and pointed to himself. Stephanie shook her head vehemently and was joined in agreement by Alaric. Steph grabbed Jere's hand and led him back into the kitchen, where Jenna was finishing apologizing for not having dessert ready quite yet.

Jenna disappeared back into the kitchen and Alaric, John, Steph, and Jeremy sat around the table in a tense silence until Jeremy opened his mouth.

"Elijah, did you know that John is Elena's biological father?" He let his eyes open a little wider to appear innocent.

"Of course, I'm well aware of that," Elijah replied quickly, uninterested.

"Of course," Jeremy said, "She totally hates him, and not that anybody here really likes him anyway." John sent him a betrayed look that Jeremy belligerently ignored.

"What I'd like to know, Elijah, is how you intend on killing Klaus?" John asked a moment later.

"Gentlemen, and lady, there are a few things that I want to make very clear right now," Elijah said clearly, "I only allow you to live to keep an eye on Elena. If any of you become a liability, I'll take her away and you'll never see her again."

Jeremy's face turned red. "The hell you will," He hissed furiously, and then added, "I'm getting some air."

Steph made a split decision and let her hand wander underneath the table and silently slipped the dagger from its holster on her inner thigh. She passed it to Jeremy underneath the table and watched as he slipped into his large pants pocket. He stood angrily and stormed from the room.

The room was awkward as Stephanie found herself stuck in a room with Alaric the former vampire hunter, John the supernatural hunter, and Elijah; the man who was going to sacrifice Elena to kill Klaus.

They were all startled when Elijah suddenly arched forwards and went a ghastly grey color. The dagger was sticking out through his chest and behind him stood Jeremy, chest heaving and a satisfied look on his.

"Bastard," Jeremy said down to Elijah's blank face and he ripped the dagger back out of his heart. Elijah lied still in his chair.

"Get rid of him," Alaric snapped to Steph, "Before Jenna comes back with dessert."

Stephanie scrambled up from her chair and with the help of Jeremy, carried Elijah's body out to Stephanie's little red car, driving to the Boarding House to put his body into their cellar.

* * *

"Our buddy Elijah is dead," Damon called as he hung up his cell phone.

Elena was idly finishing reading the passage in Jonathan Gilbert's journal about the dagger, "'as long as the dagger stays in place, the Original for all purposes is dead.'"

"Damn it," Damon hissed, and took back out his phone to call Stephanie, but he looked to find that she'd already called him.

"Elijah's not dead," They said at the same time.

"Good to know we're on the same page," Damon growled.

"He's probably headed your way, so keep an eye out. I'm coming over there with the dagger so we can get him for good this time," Stephanie replied.

"We'll be seeing you then," Damon said and hung up.

* * *

"Is that someone at the door, Bonnie?" A frail voice asked and the young witch hurried to her grandmother's side. Grams was sitting on the couch, thin as rail and her complexion was terribly pale.

"I don't think so," Bonnie said quietly, "I didn't hear anything. What are you even doing up, Grams?"

Grams gave her a look. "I'm sick, not an invalid, Bonnie."

"You've been sick for a while, Grams, and the doctors say you're not getting any better," Bonnie told her, "You doing magic doesn't help you either."

Grams started to speak, but Bonnie, however impolite it would be, interrupted her, "I've seen you, Grams. It drains you every time you use magic."

"You think that's an excuse for going behind my back and working with vampires? Channeling a young warlock and then using dark magic to retrieve information?" At Bonnie's horrified look, Grams softened, "I'm old, not senile. I know what goes on in this town. I also know that you haven't said a thing to your friends about me being ill."

"It's not any of their business," Bonnie said stiffly.

"You're their friend," Grams corrected, "And you need someone to talk to when I'm gone."

"But you're not leaving," Bonnie said firmly, "You're just sick."

Grams sighed, "Bonnie –"

Their door burst open and Jonas stormed into the house, grabbed Bonnie by the throat and hefted her up.

"What did he tell you?" The warlock growled.

"Let go of my granddaughter," Grams voice was strong, as opposed to her shaking body as she stood from her seat on the couch. Jonas spared her barely a glance.

Grams' voice was steady as she belted out a spell, tearing Jonas off of his feet. Bonnie fell to the floor in a heap, while Jonas went soaring into the opposite wall.

"Bonnie," Grams said firmly, "Get up, now." The young witch rose and steadied herself, dizzy from the lack of oxygen. Jonas was rising on the other side of the room.

"You don't understand," Jonas said, glaring.

"I do," Grams contradicted, "It's why I'm doing this; standing up for my granddaughter."

"If you knew the black magic she was doing-" Jonas tried to interrupt.

"Don't lecture me or her on black magic," Grams spat, "as you're practically working with the devil himself. So get the hell out of my house and don't come back."

Jonas attempted one more spell, but Grams blocked it with a half whispered incantation, forcing the warlock to leave on unsteady feet. Bonnie turned to her Grams, who was sinking down to the floor.

"Grams!" Bonnie shrieked and rushed to her side.

"Just help me over to the couch, or better yet, my bed," Grams said firmly, "I'll be just fine." Her voice was almost as weak as her legs now, though, and so Bonnie kept a firm hold onto her grandmother as she helped her up the stairs into her bedroom.

Once she was in bed, Bonnie shut the door and sank down on the other side, holding in sobs.

"Grams is going to be fine," She murmured to herself. She hadn't told any of her friends of her grandmother's increasing bad health for numerous reasons, but it looked like she might have to in the near future.

"Grams in going to be fine," She said again to steady herself, "She's going to be just fine."

* * *

"We're here," Stephanie murmured and Damon and Elena whirled around to see Steph and Jeremy, both looking windswept. "Here's the dagger," She gave it to Elena, who put it under her shirt. Damon peeked out the front window and spotted Elijah.

"Elijah's here and bringing a party," He muttered quietly. He pulled Elena back just as the Original threw a handful of rocks through their front door, splintering the wood and sending the pieces flying.

"I need to go out there and talk to him," Elena told Damon, "Damon, I'm okay, he can't come into the house."

"I'm a very patient man," Elijah said as he approached the door frame, indicating he'd heard Elena's statement.

"Good for you," Damon scowled as he called out, "You can watch grass grow and not be bored."

"I'll wait you out," Elijah continued, unimpressed. Elena walked out of Damon's embrace and walked to the door with the blade of the dagger just visible in hand. Stephanie and Jeremy kept silent and out of view so Elijah wouldn't be able to detect them.

"They shouldn't have done what they did," Elena started.

"The deal's off," Elijah said, cutting over her.

"I'm renegotiating," Elena replied.

"You have nothing left to negotiate with," Elijah said with a slight smile, but Elena revealed the knife to him. The Original was still unconvinced.

"I'd like to see you lure Klaus to Mystic Falls while I bleed to death," Elena said strongly.

"Damon won't let you do it," Elijah said flatly.

"No, he won't. He'll give me his blood to heal me and then I'll kill myself to become a vampire, just like Katherine did. So unless you want that to happen again, we'll make our deal. Promise me you won't harm anyone I love, even if they've harmed you."

Elijah was outright smiling. "I'm sorry. I'm going to have to call your bluff."

Elena took the knife, turned it around, and stabbed herself in the gut, choking and moaning in pain.

"No!" Elijah roared and tried to enter, but he hit the barrier blocking him. He watched Elena start to bleed out, "Yes! You can have our deal! Let me heal you!"

"Give me your word!" Elena shouted, riding a wave of pain.

"I give you my word," Elijah hissed and Elena stumbled out of the house and into his arms. She slipped the dagger from her palm and stabbed the Original into the heart with, cementing his death as he greyed and mummified.

Damon rushed to her side and fed her his blood, and the held each other in their arms. Jeremy and Stephanie came around the corner, both looking grim.

"Idea," Jeremy said and the others looked to him, "Don't pull the dagger out."

* * *

"Well, that was awkward," John announced as soon as Jenna was gone from her and Rick's conversation of Isobel and the secrets Alaric was keeping from her. John stepped into view and continued, "You know, I can clear up all this stuff about Isobel tomorrow, if you want. Or not."

Alaric made a face and took his ring off and set it down on the counter top. "You want it? Take it. It's yours," He was nearly whispering as a sly smirk crossed his face, "After what you tried to do to Damon, you're going to need it more than me. Especially since it almost killed Stephanie instead. They're really protective of each other, those Salvatore's. I'd watch your back, if I were you."

He brushed passed John.

* * *

Stephanie, Damon, Elena, and Jeremy got Elijah's body into the cellar once this, this time without removing the dagger from his chest. Damon rifled through the Original's suit jacket pocket.

"Ah ha. It's our little moonstone bar of soap, the end of all of this," He smirked victoriously.

"So that's it?" Elena asked, "I mean, as long as we keep the dagger in there, he stays dead." Jeremy looked expectantly at the vampires as well.

"Pretty much," Damon replied.

"Okay," Elena said, "Okay. Good night. Coming, Jere?"

Jeremy shrugged, "Jenna probably wants me home tonight." He kissed Stephanie and ignored Elena's spiel of how she was going to fight now, thankyouverymuch, and they were not doing things behind her back anymore.

"Jeremy," Elena said and Jeremy realized she'd probably been calling him multiple times. He just grinned and said one last good bye to Stephanie, and then followed his sister out. Stephanie and Damon were left in the cellar, which they quickly vacated themselves.

"Well, I'm out," Damon said to Steph, "Night."

"Goodnight," She said quietly and headed for the living room to sit up a while, Damon was sure. He went upstairs to his bedroom and frowned when he heard his shower running.

"What the hell?"

Inside was Elena.

"I thought you left already?" Damon asked, puzzled.

"Hello, Damon," Katherine smiled as she stepped out and played with her hair, "Do you have a robe?"

Damon tilted his head. "How did you get out? Steph said that if we killed Elijah that you would be stuck in the tomb. Forever."

"I knew that if I begged for her not to kill Elijah, that's exactly what she'd do. It'd have worked on you two, I'm sure," She smirked, "Fact: Originals can compel vampires. But, as soon as they die, the compulsion wears off."

"You knew," Damon said flatly.

"And I'm still here, exactly what I told Stephanie," Katherine said, "I'm going to help you. So, how about that robe?"

* * *

**A/N: Not sure how I feel about this chapter, really.**


	16. i know what i am

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I always feel that I have two duties to perform with a parting guest: one, to see that he doesn't forget anything that is his; the other, to see that he doesn't take anything that is mine."
> 
> ~Alfred North Whitehead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any quotes borrowed/modified.

The morning was bright and the woodland sounds from around the forest were seemingly extra loud in the early dawn hours. Stephanie woke up early and braided her long hair, wearing her favored grey-green zip sweatshirt and a pair of blue jeans. Floorboards creaked as Steph's booted feet walked lightly across her bedroom and she closed the door silently behind her. She saw a flash of long brown hair and fluffy purple scarf and Steph smiled.

"Good morning, Elena," She called and Elena paused, turning to look at Stephanie. She gave the other girl a grin.

"I thought you went home last night with Jeremy," Stephanie paused and tilted her head.

Elena shrugged and gave Stephanie a mischievous smile, "I came back over last night."

"Oh, okay," Stephanie tilted her head, confused. She kept her eyes on Elena as they walked down the stairs together. Sounds of a scuffle quickened Stephanie's pace and she walked in on an unusual scene.

Damon was holding . . . Elena? He had her by the throat and mashed up against a wood paneled wall with a furious look on his pale marbleized face, his lips pulled back into a fierce sneer. His blue eyes flashed with anger as he looked up.

"What the hell?" Stephanie asked and her eyes switched from the girl by her side and the one Damon held into a death grip.

"Katherine's out of the tomb?" 'Elena' asked next to Stephanie, her eyes widening dramatically.

"I'm Elena; she's Katherine," 'Elena' in Damon's grip choked out. Stephanie reached for the girl by her side only to find that she had flashed to the other side of the room.

"Katherine," Stephanie snapped angrily while Damon let the actual Elena out of his dangerous hold. They awkwardly didn't look at each other, instead choosing to glare at Katherine as the older vampire smirked teasingly.

"It's getting really easy being you, Elena. The whole 'nice girl' act was a little difficult to perfect, but I think I've got it down now," Katherine said slyly, twirling a piece of her straight hair in her fingers.

Elena whirled around and pointed at Damon and then Stephanie, her face tight with fury and turning a nasty shade of red. "What's she doing here?"

"Yes, Damon, what is she doing here?" Stephanie asked flatly, tilting her head, "She said if we killed Elijah she'd be stuck in the tomb forever."

"About that?" Damon whispered conspiratorially, "That was a lie. The bitch was freed from the tomb as soon as the dagger entered his heart. His death broke the compulsion."

"How is that possible?" Stephanie asked, licking her lips and crossing her arms.

"How did he even compel me in the first place?" Katherine clarified, "He's an Original. They all have all sorts of special skills that the rest of us don't have. Unfortunately."

"I don't want you here," Elena sneered at Katherine, her tone dripping pure loathing for her doppelgänger. She turned to Damon, "Get her out of here."

Katherine rolled her eyes and pushed herself of the wall she been leaning on casually, "You need me Elena, you all do. Admit it."

"Like hell," Stephanie snapped.

"We all want the same thing," Katherine emphasized, "Which is: Klaus dead and burned to a crisp, never to bother us ever again. But here you all are, running around like water fowl with your heads cut off."

"I don't need your help," Elena retorted to Katherine, "And I don't want it." Her arms were crossed tightly against her chest defensively.

"That's incredibly stupid of you," Katherine sang, "Do you know where Klaus is? Where's he's coming? What he . . . looks like, even?" Her eyes swept Elena and an unusually silent Damon before settling on Stephanie for the briefest of moments. She flipped her hair behind her shoulder.

"If you know something," Damon finally spoke up and he thundered, "Say it or get out." He advanced on the girl that he used to love with such passion, his hands clenching into fists.

"Then I'll just go to the Grill and get some lunch," Katherine said and turned to Elena with self-satisfaction on her face, "Maybe I'll see Jenna."

Elena's fingers dug into her skin on her elbows with irritation and she exchanged a look with Damon, who was still glowering at Katherine's smiling face.

.

.

.

Caroline walked through the busy halls of her High School and vaguely wondered where Elena and the others were, but she didn't linger on the trail of thought; Elena was always missing it seemed, and she was generally with Damon. Jeremy attended more than she did, which did not say much, and Caroline wondered what Stephanie had been thinking, enrolling in school if she was just going to blow it off to help save the town, Sunnydale-esque.

That still didn't even begin to answer the question of where Bonnie was, thought it might have something to do with the ominous text she'd gotten from the witch about wanting to talk with her and their girlfriends about something serious. Caroline sighed a little, but perked up when she spied Matt a few paces ahead of her, taping up some posters for an event at the Mystic Grill.

"Hey, Matt," Caroline called cheerfully and caught up to her human (boy?)friend.

He nodded to her in acknowledgement, and Caroline's eyes went straight to a poster he'd just put up.

"There's a band at the Grill tonight?" Caroline asked, surprised.

"Yeah, well, got to make some money somehow," Matt returned a little gruffly and stuck up another poster. Caroline nodded awkwardly and stuck her hands into her jacket pockets. "Business has been really slow," He added, and then turned to face Caroline head on, "Have you seen Tyler recently? He just stopped by the other night to talk, but I haven't seen him since. His mom's really worried."

"Tyler went to see you?" Caroline tried to ignore the pang in her heart, "What did he tell you?"

"He just . . . I think to say good-bye, but I was just too thick to hear what he was saying," Matt ran out of posters and rubbed his face tiredly.

"That's all he said to you? There was nothing else?" Caroline wheedled as they came to a stop by a set of doors.

"Yeah, that was it," Matt sighed, "Why? Is there something you want to tell?"

"Yeah, I mean, no, I mean, it's just not that easy," Caroline tried to explain, but bite her lip as the words wouldn't come to her.

"I don't get it," Matt said as a sudden energy filled him, "Why am I suddenly the eloquent one while you're floundering around for something to say?"

They were practically toe to toe.

"You're right and I'm sorry," Caroline told him softly.

"You know how I feel," Matt told her quietly, "So the ball's in your court, Care. Make your decision or just leave me alone." He stepped away and walked off, leaving Caroline alone in the hallway. She turned on her heel and walked back towards her locker and was surprised to see Stephanie and Elena talking by the latter's.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" Caroline asked as she turned towards them instead of going to her own locker.

"Katherine's out of the tomb," Elena said sourly and Caroline noted that Stephanie was about as enthused.

"What?" Caroline asked shrilly, "I thought- I mean, why? How?"

"She lied to me and I lapped it up like a dog," Stephanie said lackluster, "She said that if Elijah was dead, the compulsion on her would keep her in the tomb; it did the opposite. Apparently, if you kill an Original and they've compelled a vampire, the compulsion disintegrates as soon as the Original is dead."

Caroline cursed.

"Is she still here?" Caroline demanded.

"Yes," Elena nearly growled.

"She wants Klaus dead," Stephanie told the blonde earnestly, "I think maybe she sees this as her only chance to achieve that."

"Or," Elena interjected, "Maybe she's trying to lure Damon back into her bed of filthy lies and drag Stephanie down with them. I want her gone."

Caroline scrunched of her nose at the imagery.

"But when I talked to her before, she said she'd stay and she has," Stephanie continued, "I think we should at least figure out why she's stayed. And she made a good point this morning; we don't know anything about Klaus at all."

"Right, but that doesn't mean I want her shacking up with Damon and lying around the Boarding House," Elena complained as she rifled through her papers in her locker, trying the find the correct homework for her first class.

"You could always stay over with Damon," Stephanie suggested, "Or Damon could come over."

"Nope," Caroline interrupted, "She can't and he can't, because we're all having a slumber party, right Elena?"

Elena smacked her face with frustration, "Of course, I forgot. Bonnie called me last night. There's something she wants to tell us that's really important. She sounded really stressed, so I invited her to come over. It's going to be an all-girls night," Her face scrunched up, "Maybe Katherine can join us."

The idea of the 300+ vampire joining them for a slumber party was so ludicrous, Caroline burst into hysterical giggles, which Stephanie and Elena joined in a moment later.

"Let's get to class," Caroline said, her disposition much more cheerful than it had been after she'd talked to Matt, despite the fact that Katherine was free of the tomb. She had her friends, who were pretty much her family. She was happy.

Caroline threw her arms around Stephanie and Elena's shoulders after Elena slammed her locker shut, and they walked to class.

.

.

.

Damon walked through the long, narrow pathway in their basement/dungeon and opened a small closet next to the door. His eyes flitted around the tightly enclosed dark area until they settled on the thing he'd been searching for.

"Ah ha," He muttered and pulled out the flamethrower, "Always need a flamethrower at hand; you never know when they're necessary."

"Talking to yourself?" Katherine's airy voice trilled from behind him.

Damon felt his face fall from cheerfulness to irritation in a single second. He turned and brushed passed her, and stalked towards the cell in which held Elijah's body. He opened it up and blasted the Original with the fire, and he frowned when he observed his work.

"Are you trying to get the dagger out? Because it's not going to work; he's indestructible," Katherine sang irritatingly. Her eyes flashed to Damon's frustrated face.

"Really? No kidding," Damon muttered as he looked over Elijah's smoky, but still relatively pristine body. "How do you know so much about Original vampires?" He asked as an afterthought, "You sleep around with them too? You have a thing for messing with siblings – there's Elijah and Klaus, I'm sure; you slept with me and bugged Stephanie; there were those two idiots in London – Samuel and Henry. Who else?"

Katherine blatantly ignored the jibes and said dryly, "I was on the run from them for over five hundred years, Damon. I was bound to pick up some information along the way." She sent him a side long glance.

"So, when Stephanie told you of her plan to use the dagger to kill Elijah, why didn't you warn her that it would kill her?" Damon inquired lightly.

"Oh, there are so many rules, it's confusing," Katherine drawled and pushed off the wall. She meandered over to Elijah's body and stared at him.

"Did you know she would die?" Damon asked again.

"Did Elijah tell you his plan?" Katherine turned back to him, "That he had a dagger to kill Klaus with?"

"Why are you still here?"

"You haven't physically removed me yet," Katherine laughed as Damon aimed the flamethrower at her immediately after. "You wouldn't," She taunted, secure that he wouldn't.

"Oh, I would," Damon assured her.

Seeing the seriousness in his gaze, Katherine felt a flash of uneasiness, "Let's be smart about this. I want Klaus dead as much as you do; even more, really. If I wasn't being honest about helping, I'd be long gone by now. I swear. You can hate it, but we want the same thing." As Damon lowered the flamethrower, Katherine turned her look into a leer, "And you know that I always get what I want."

Katherine walk passed Damon, but paused with her hand hovering over his shoulder. She looked up into his icy eyes and admitted, "I wanted out of the tomb. It didn't matter who paid the price, Damon. Of course I knew that Stephanie would die."  She brushed passed Damon's still form.

.

.

.

The girls found Jeremy walking along and Stephanie and he exchanged grins welcoming each other. Jeremy clasped Stephanie's hand, his dwarfing hers. They passed Bonnie's locker and Caroline careened in her direction.

"Bonnie!" The blonde shrieked, "You'll never guess!" So Caroline went off in a tangent and Jeremy and Bonnie found out Katherine was free from her underground prison.

"What?" Bonnie hissed.

"But we're dealing with it," Stephanie assured her, "But I'd be on the look out and be careful; she's been impersonating Elena." Elena rubbed her neck in return and Stephanie winced as she saw the purpling bruises starting.

"Listen, I want a way to get the Martins on our side now that Elijah's –"

"No," The response was so quick and venomous that everyone looked at Bonnie in shock. As far as they knew, she'd been getting along fairly well with Luca until the moonstone debacle, but that had been long solved.

"No," She repeated firmer, "That's part of what I wanted to talk about tonight, but I might as well say it now. My Grams hasn't been helping with any of the magic besides training me because she's really sick."

Elena and the other girls' faces fell, worry for Sheila prominent in their eyes and the sets of their mouths.

"She's been to the doctor several times over the past year, but there's no diagnosis. They just say that she's older and her immune system is getting bad," Bonnie lowered her voice and the humans stepped closer, "It drains almost all of her energy to perform magic now, and when she does, her health just gets worse. It's horrible."

Bonnie's face darkened and they waited for the rest.

"If that wasn't bad enough, Jonas Martin came over last night, pissed that I was looking through Luca's head for answers while Caroline was watching over. He was trying to do something to me but Grams kicked him out with some spell I've never seen before. But now she's even worse, and I'm starting to panic."

There was a tense silence before Elena enfolded Bonnie into a tight embrace. Caroline shook her head and said, "I wished you'd have told us about this, Bonnie. Maybe we could have helped. We can still help."

"By doing what?" Bonnie asked as Elena released her, "Let's be serious. There's nothing you can do," She turned to Stephanie, "Except stay the hell away from the Martins. It'd be impossible to get them on our side because they hate us and believe me, it's being reciprocated."

"We need to win them over," Stephanie said quietly but insistently, "Or else someone else going to end up dead."

"My Grams almost died using magic to protect me because of him," Bonnie said furiously, "I'm not working with them."

There was an awkward silence.

Caroline clapped her hands, "End of discussion. Okay, well, I'm going to get to my first class, which what do you know? I have with Bonnie." She took a hold of the witch's arm and then pointed to Elena, "You should go talk to Alaric about the Katherine problem, and you, Jeremy," Caroline smiled, "Should escort your girlfriend to class." Without another word, she towed Bonnie away from the tension filled atmosphere, and Elena sighed, but headed towards the History classroom, where Rick was sure to be.

"To class?" Jeremy asked innocently.

"We really need to talk to the Martins," Stephanie insisted to her boyfriend as they walked to Steph's first period, "Bonnie's right that they're dangerous, and I know that she's upset, but we can't just ignore them. They're bound to stir up some trouble otherwise."

Jeremy shrugged.

"I don't know what to say, Steph, other than Bonnie doesn't want to talk to them. No one said you couldn't," He winked.

"You're a genius," Stephanie said and planted a kiss on Jeremy's face and spun around, sprinting out of the school.

Jeremy laughed and touched his lips with the pads of his fingers.

.

.

.

"Thank you for coming," Stephanie said calmly as she stood and gestured for the Martins to sit at the small table, "I appreciate it."

"I didn't want to," Jonas said flatly, "But my son made a case to hear you out. You said you have news about Elijah?" He and Luca sat at the table across from Stephanie, and the small vampire sat as well.

Stephanie awkwardly said, "Elijah's dead. I'm sorry."

Jonas started to rise and Steph didn't like the look on his face. She met him halfway out of his sat and put her slender hand onto his shoulder and gently pushed. "Hear me out," She implored and the warlock slowly sat down, "We can help you, please."

When Jonas had sat, Stephanie continued, "We know that Klaus has your daughter. I'm sorry about the way Bonnie had to get that information; it was an invasion of privacy and morally wrong. But it's good that we know. We can all work together to her back from Klaus."

"How?" Luca asked shortly.

"I suspect that you had a plan with Elijah to kill Klaus," Steph started.  "We can help you carry it out. You can trust us, me."

.

.

.

She kept eye contact with Jonas as he debated internally.

"What did Papa Witch and Baby Witch have to say?" Damon asked as Stephanie entered the Boarding House. She eyed Katherine's proximity to her brother.

"Isn't she gone or dead yet?" Steph asked instead of answering, arms crossed as she leant on the door jamb leading to the parlor, where Damon was looking for the witch massacre site that Elijah had mentioned while Katherine bugged him.

"For the last time, I'd like to help. Let's not have any secrets, okay?" Katherine nearly snarled in frustration.

Stephanie released her arms and stepped farther into the room, eyes on Damon as she said, "Elijah had no weapon to kill Klaus with. But he believed that if a witch could channel enough power, they wouldn't need one."

"Like the power you get that's been marked by a hundred dead witches," Damon realized.

"We just need to find the burial site," Stephanie said and she and Damon shared satisfied looks with each other, "Now, I have to get to a thing at Elena's house. I just stopped by to let you know about the Martins."

Damon wiggled his eye brows, "Slumber party? Will there be pillow fights? I'm asking because I need to know if I should stop by. For the safety of those poor, poor feather pillows of Elena's, of course."

Steph glared half-heartedly and chose not to answer as she turned back around headed off to The Gilbert house. She got there just as the girls and Jenna were rushing out.

She pursed her lips. "Am I really late?"

"Yes, but you're forgiven," Caroline said quickly, "Come on, we're going to the Grill to bash our exes and watch a live band." She grabbed Stephanie's shoulder and towed her along with them to Jenna's car, which they all piled in.

They all arrived at the Grill, but almost as soon as the girls procured a table, Stephanie's phone started to ring. Caroline glared at her.

"Don't answer it."

"But it might be important," Stephanie said and she quickly pulled her phone out and slipped out of the booth. "Hello?"

"Yeah," Damon yelled, "There's some crazy ass psychic witch attack going on here down in the basement with Elijah's body! It's got to be the Martins, so get over there and stop them!"

"Right," Stephanie said quickly and she eyed her friends at their booth. Silently wishing she'd clued in Bonnie, or at least Elena that she'd contacted the Martins, Steph disappeared out of the Grill regretfully. She arrived at the Martins' apartment, but it was locked tight. Stephanie searched the hallway and ripped part of the railing from the staircase off, and used it to smash open the door.

Dead on the floor, burned to a crisp, was Luca Martin.

"Oh, no," Stephanie murmured and her eyes flicked around the room.

"You killed him," Jonas said and the heartbreak in his voice punctured Steph's heart. Seconds later, she felt her brain imploding on its self; her ears rang and it felt like tiny daggers were piercing her skull. Stephanie hands went to her head, her fingers digging into her forehead as she staggered and had to lean on the door jamb for support.

"Now I have no one," Jonas continued as he strode forwards.

"No," Stephanie moaned.

"And now you're about to find out exactly how that feels like," Jonas snarled as he lifted his hand and let the palm of it face Stephanie. She whimpered and moaned as she slid down to the floor, curling up in on herself as the pain radiated in her head worsened.

She sensed rather than saw the warlock step over her like she was trash and he stormed down the hall. As soon as he was out of sight, the pain disappeared as if it had never been there. Stephanie looked straight ahead, almost afraid it would come back, but her green eyes caught a look at a picture of Elena on the floor and one of her things.

"No," Stephanie said quietly, "No." She wasn't going to let Jonas kill Elena – her friend and Damon's near soulmate – because of a mistake Stephanie made behind her back.

.

.

.

Damon let a sharpened stake slip from his sleeve and he flashed to Katherine's side and staked her in the stomach as she lay down on the couch. She choked and glared.

"What was that for?"

"Not telling Stephanie that the dagger would kill her," Damon said easily, but his icy gaze belied his anger, "Next time, sweetheart, it goes through the heart." He jammed it in a little farther and hearing Katherine's muffled scream, ripped it back out.

"Is that how you treat someone who is trying to help you?" Katherine growled as Damon walked across the room. They'd retreated back to the living room where Damon pretended to look for the witches' burial site. He'd found it earlier and would have told Steph, but he'd been busy with torching a warlock and she was out fixing the issue.

"You can help by talking."

"I'd love to," Katherine said as she got up, peeved, "But you're not going to like it."

"Try me," Damon shot back.

"John Gilbert and Isobel want you and Stephanie out of Elena and Jeremy's lives. Well, Isobel wants you out of Elena's life; she really doesn't care about Jeremy, but John insisted."

"Old news," Damon rolled his eyes, "Is that all?"

"It was until John offered me a deal," Katherine told him.

"What's with all the deals?" Damon asked, exasperated, "They're not getting anyone anywhere; Elena and Elijah's deal; Stephanie and Jonas' deal; you and John's? That's going to go down the drain, let me tell you right now."

"He knew that killing Elijah would get me out of the tomb, so he gave me a choice," Katherine said, ignoring Damon's tangent in lieu of explaining to him, "Either I stay and help with Klaus or he'd kill you."

"But you still tried to have Steph killed," Damon said, arching his eyebrows.

"Right. It was a part of the deal; I could only save one of you."

"So, you chose me," Damon observed and said slyly, "Because I was a good lay. You can pick up girly friends anywhere." He turned serious very quickly and flashed up close to her, "Just don't make any more deals on Stephanie or my lives."

.

.

.

Elena walked away from the bathroom and ran into Bonnie, who was going in that direction.

"I wouldn't," Elena warned her, "Not only is Stephanie not in there, but Caroline and Matt are making out there instead. That song Caroline sang for him? It really worked in getting them back together."

Bonnie's eyebrows rose in amusement just as Elena's phone went off.

"Hey, Stephanie, where are you? You disappeared as soon as we got here," Elena said, frowning. Bonnie stood next to her, waiting.

"You're going to be furious," Steph's voice was strained, "And Bonnie's probably not going to forgive me."

Elena felt lead appear in her gut. "That doesn't sound good."

"I went ahead and tried to get help from the Martins, but they didn't trust us. Instead, they did some psychic attack and tried to revive Elijah."

Elena gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Is he still dead?"

"Yes, but so is Luca and now Jonas is coming after you," Stephanie said quickly, "I'm already in front of the Grill, but it looks like-"

Bonnie's hand flew out and shook Elena's frantically, "Jonas Martin is here," She hissed.

"Oh no," Elena murmured.

"What? Is he there?" Stephanie asked.

"Yes," Elena said quietly.

"Damon's on his way too, and Katherine's tagging along with him," Stephanie said, "Don't do anything but hide, okay? I'm coming inside." Elena and Stephanie hung up their phones and Elena motioned for Bonnie to follow her. They scurried away while Bonnie fired quiet questions to Elena's back.

"What's going on?"

"Stephanie made a deal with the Martins," Elena admitted regretfully, "She was trying to help, but they backstabbed them by trying to wake up Elijah. Luca died somehow and now Jonas is after me for revenge or something, I don't know." Bonnie looked furious and Elena thought for a brief moment that Steph might have been right, that Bonnie wouldn't forgive her this time.

Stephanie sped into the bar and grill and searched for her friends and Jonas. Lights were exploding and flashing, courtesy of the warlock, no doubt. She saw Bonnie head straight for Jonas, her hair crackling with her magic and Elena at the far end of the Grill. Stephanie flashed to her side, startling the human.

"I am so sorry," Steph murmured.

"It's fine, we just need to do something," Elena said urgently.

"Come on," The vampire led Elena to the bathroom, where they found Caroline looking disheveled as she fixed her hair in the mirror.

"What's going on?" Caroline asked.

Steph was quick to reply, "Jonas is here and coming after Elena."

"Oh my God," Caroline gasped.

"I have a plan but I need to get Elena out of here," Stephanie said urgently, much to Elena's distress.

"What?"

"Please," Stephanie implored and both Caroline and Elena eventually nodded. A second later the door burst inwards, starling the girls, but it was only Katherine and Damon.

"Are you alright?" Damon asked immediately and Elena rushed into his arms.

"You can have a reunion as soon as we swap clothes," Katherine drawled and started to strip. After an awkward moment of incomplete sureness, Elena quickly switched jackets and shirts with vampire.

"Alright," Stephanie said quickly, "We'll see you later." Damon nodded sharply, and he and Katherine hurried from the bathroom and escaped through a back door that was yet unguarded. Stephanie and Katherine quickly left the restroom next and made their way into the main restaurant. The building was on fire by then and Jonas was on a warpath. Bonnie was out cold and being tossed over Matt's concerned shoulder, blood dripping from her nose as the QB was getting her out.

"Ready for the act of a lifetime?" Stephanie asked quietly.

"Of course," Katherine winked and a moment later she appeared to be Elena with all of her goodness. "Jonas!"

The warlock spun to face them and he stalked forwards.

"I'm so sorry about Luca," Katherine said, "We never wanted that to happen, but at least let us help you get your daughter back!"

"Only Elijah can do that," Jonas said firmly.

Katherine shook her head, "You don't need Elijah."

Jonas raised the flames and lit the bar on fire. Stephanie pulled Katherine close to her, seemingly shielding a human Elena from the flames. As it was, the heat licked Stephanie's back. Just as it looked like Jonas was going to finish them, Caroline jumped onto the warlock's back, coming from seemingly out of nowhere, just as was quickly planned in the restroom.

Stephanie and Katherine made their 'escape' and headed away while Caroline distracted Jonas. Stephanie heard her friend's shrieking screams a moment later and closed her eyes. She almost turned around, but Katherine kept a restraining hand on Steph's shoulder and she heard Matt come and save Caroline.

They left the Grill and made it to the Gilbert house to find Jeremy and Bonnie there sitting in awkward silence.

"Thank God you're okay," Bonnie said to Katherine.

"It's not over yet," Katherine said.

"What's going on?" Jeremy asked Stephanie.

"Steph will explain," Katherine said and she scurried up the stairs.

"How long have you guys been here?" Stephanie asked suddenly.

"Why?" Jeremy asked, "You think of something?"

"Did you check the house?" Stephanie tilted her head.

"Why would be we . . . check . . ." Realization dawned on Jeremy, "You think Jonas headed over here as soon as he finished trashing the Grill?"

"Elena!" Bonnie shrieked as they heard glass shattering upstairs. She started to sprint to Elena's room, but Stephanie hissed, "That's Katherine. Elena's safe with Damon."

Bonnie looked bewildered, but Stephanie thought that was better than the righteous fury that was sure to come later for contacting the Martins later. The three of them bounded up the steps in any case, and found Katherine licking blood off her lips in the bathroom with Jonas' dead body at her feet.

"You're welcome," Katherine said.

Bonnie observed the body on the floor. "I hated him, but you didn't have to kill him." She didn't sound that remorseful, but her gaze was set on the warlock.

"We did," Katherine said and nothing more was said on it, "I don't do body clean ups, so, ah. . . all yours." She left them in the bathroom and Stephanie heard her greet Damon and Elena in the foyer downstairs.

Bonnie's eyes flashed to Stephanie.

"You almost killed Elena tonight with that stunt," She accused, "If you hadn't involved them, they wouldn't be dead and none of this would have happened."

"I know and I'm sorry, Bonnie," Stephanie admitted quietly, "I just needed to see if they'd help us find a way to get rid of Klaus without anyone else having to get hurt."

"Well, you see how well that worked out," Bonnie said coldly and excused herself from the restroom. Her light footsteps were heard as she went down the steps, said good bye to Elena, and disappeared out of the house.

"So," Jeremy looked at Jonas, "Guess we're stuck with clean up."

Stephanie shot him a short grimace and slipped off her sweatshirt and rolling up her sleeves, while Jeremy stood in the bathroom doorway, eyeing the body.

"Are you going to help or stand there?" Stephanie asked shortly.

"Oh, right, of course," Jeremy hurried and maneuvered his self so that he would carry the dead warlock's feet and he clasped his large around the man's legs tightly to keep from dropping him. Stephanie hauled Jonas up by his armpits and nodded for Jeremy to start walking. Together, they got the body down the stairs where Elena and Damon were sitting quietly at the kitchen table together.

Katherine was nowhere to be seen and Bonnie had similarly disappeared. The couple at the table turned to look at them and Damon scrunched up his nose.

"Ew, dead warlock."

"Thanks for helping, dick," Stephanie muttered under her breath, and then asked louder, "Is your outside?"

"Yes." Damon arched an eyebrow but at Steph's serious deadpan gaze, become severely concerned for his beautiful blue Camaro. "No, you are not putting him in there! Think of the upholstery!"

"Damon," Elena hissed, "Seriously?" Damon turned to his girlfriend, unimpressed with her lack of concern for the wellbeing of his prized car.

"She was expensive and she's a classic," Damon said flatly, "There is not going to be a dead body sitting in her for any length of time."

"So, it's out there?" Stephanie asked quietly, but Damon was in a heated argument with Elena about the use of feminine pronouns for objects. Steph turned to Jeremy and inclined her head to the door, making him laugh silently while they made their escape.

"Where do we set him?" Jeremy asked awkwardly when they got outside in the dark. Dusk had fallen hours ago by then, and there was no cloud cover, giving them the perfect view of the moon and the stars.

"Trunk," Stephanie replied quickly and laid the warlock onto the ground in front of the car. The trunk was unlocked, so Steph quickly popped it open and with Jere's help, put Jonas Martin's body inside.

"How are you going to drive this thing without the keys?" Jeremy asked as soon as the trunk was shut and they were seated in the front.

Very seriously, Stephanie turned to Jeremy, "I'm one hundred and sixty-three years old, Jere. I know how to hot wire a car." She adjusted the seat to adjust for her short stature, ignoring Jeremy's giggling, and started the car half a minute later. Soon they were cruising down the road of the neighborhood.

Stephanie drove Jeremy and Jonas Martin out of the Gilbert's neck of the woods and towards the Boarding House, but detoured closer to the forest. Steph parked and flashed out of the car and pulled Jonas' body out.

"Stay in here," Stephanie told Jeremy and ran with her vampire speed out of hearing distance so she couldn't hear his protests. She found a meadow in a secluded area and after gathering enough wood, lit a fire with the warlock's remains shrouded in it. Covering her nose and mouth so she wouldn't smell the burning flesh, Steph waited until Jonas's body was ash before putting out the fire.

The sun was rising by the time Stephanie got back to Damon's car, and Jeremy was looking grim as he hung up his cell phone.

"There's a problem back at home," He said seriously as Stephanie slipped back into the car.

"Besides Damon whining about his car?" Steph asked as she got the old thing running again.

"Isobel just showed up on the doorstep and freaked out Jenna," Jeremy said grimly, "Aunt Jenna went to her school campus to write her thesis. Or that's her excuse anyway." He cheered up a little though, and added, "But Alaric punched out Uncle John. Damon says it was pretty cool."

Stephanie opened her mouth to comment on that, but they pulled up the Gilbert's driveway and her phone shrilly started to ring at the same time.

"What's wrong now?" Stephanie murmured, but Jeremy groaned aloud. They got out of Damon's car and flashed inside the house and Steph answered her phone, "Hello?"

"Matt was really hurt last night and so I gave him my blood and he found out I was a vampire and he fled and now I have no idea where he is!" Caroline's voice wailed on the other end.

"What?" Stephanie asked, eyes widening as she and Jeremy hustled up the stairs, "How could you let him leave?"

"I didn't mean to," Caroline wailed again.

"Does your mom know?"

"No, she just thinks that we were fighting," Caroline said a little more calm and Stephanie heard a car door slam, "But Matt was freaking out about Vicki. He said that she tried to tell him about vampires before, but he wouldn't listen."

"You need to find him and calm him down," Stephanie said quietly as she and Jeremy entered Elena's room to find Elena and Damon on the girl's bed, "Compel him if you have to. Is he still on the vervain?"

Elena shot her a worried glance, but Stephanie just shook her head.

"I usually slip him some in his soda when he gets off of work but I didn't get to yesterday because of the . . . thing, so it's probably out of his system by now. Wait! He has a catering shift at the Lockwood's today! I'm going to try there; thanks, Stephanie!" Caroline hung up and Stephanie turned her friends and brother and quickly explained about Caroline and Matt's situation.

"This is bad," Elena said and Damon clasped hands with her, "There's Isobel and Jena, and now Matt. We're headed down a disaster zone and I have no idea on how to turn around."

To make things worse, Stephanie heard John's footsteps and then the man himself appeared in Elena's door.

"Get into a fight with someone bigger than you?" Jeremy asked lightly, smirking at the sight of John's black eye.

"Elena, can you come downstairs? I really need to talk to you," John said in lieu of addressing Jeremy's backhanded comment.

"I don't have anything to say to you," Elena snapped angrily, crossing her arms.

"You as well, Damon. Stephanie and Jeremy may come down too," John added and Steph frowned, sensing the man's urgency. Damon rolled his eyes but was surprisingly the first one to get up, and he hauled up his girlfriend.

"Coming Lassie? Steph?" Damon asked as he and Elena headed out first. Stephanie and Jeremy exchanged looks, but got up slowly and followed after the couple, with John bringing up the rear.

"Oh, hell, no," They heard Damon exclaim and Steph and Jeremy hurried their pace in time to see Isobel standing in the foyer.

"I asked John for a do-over," Isobel explained.

Furious, Elena turned to John, "You invited her in?"

"How stupid are you?" Damon backed her up, "Monumentally, apparently."

"She has information about Klaus. Please, just listen to her," John said firmly as he kept eye contact with his biological daughter. Elena looked at Damon and the Stephanie, so Steph stepped forwards.

"Alright. What do you know, Isobel?" They congregated to the living room where Isobel sat down in a wooden chair across from everyone else. Jeremy settled onto the couch, comfortably settling in and eyeing Isobel with distaste.

"Since I was last here, I've been doing my best to find Klaus," Isobel started, "We knew it was our best chance was to find him before he could find you."

"Best chance of what?" Stephanie asked suspiciously.

"Keeping Elena alive," John replied as he folded himself into another wooden chair close to Isobel's.

Damon rolled his eyes, "Who needs your help? We've got this handled, ourselves. We certainly don't want anything that you can offer us."

"You don't get to talk, not after everything you've done," Elena said to John, not disagreeing with Damon but not commenting on his accusation.

Stephanie ignored them both and focused on Isobel, "Were you able to find Klaus?"

"Of course she wasn't," Damon snorted, "They're not that competent."

"Damon," Stephanie hissed and turned back to the other vampire.

"No, he's right," Isobel said and Damon crowed. "But," Isobel continued, "There are these rumors flying around that a doppelgänger exists."

"Which means," John said, "that if any vampire wants to get in favor with Klaus, they'll be circling like vultures until they find you."

Damon and Elena looked at each other before Elena stepped up to her parents. "I don't believe a word you're saying. The last time you were here, you didn't give a damn about me. Now all of a sudden, you want me to believe you want to help?"

"Sounds fishy to me," Damon exacerbated.

"We've been trying to help you all along," John corrected and continued despite the looks of incredibility thrown his way, "Klaus has been looking for Katherine for centuries. All it would take would be for any one of those 1864 tomb vampires compelled to tell what they know, which would bring Klaus straight here to Mystic Falls. So we killed them."

"And you almost fried me," Damon shot back.

"Yeah," John agreed, but did not look guilty.

Isobel stood and put her hands together in a pleading motion towards Elena, "I have a safe house I can take you to. The deed is in your name; no vampires can get in without your permission. Not even me. Let me help you."

Damon said, "Bullshit," The same time Elena told Isobel, "You want to help me? Get the hell out of my house." They stood firm next to each, mirroring one another's stiff facial expressions.  Isobel and John lingered for a moment longer before picking themselves up and leaving the premises.

.

.

.

Bonnie sat next to her Grams on her bed, holding the older witch's frail, spindly hand. Grams' skin was ashy and almost grey, but she sent her granddaughter a smile regardless.

"There something you want to ask me, Bonnie?" Grams asked quietly.

Bonnie looked down before turning her gaze up to her Grams. "Yesterday Luca and Jonas Martin were killed because of their own mistakes. They wanted to get back their family member that Klaus has – Luca's sister. I confronted Jonas before he was killed . . ."

"What is it? What did he tell you?" Grams asked, frowning.

"He told me there was a spell to channel the energy of our ancestors to kill Klaus. I just have to find the spell and the burial place," Bonnie said quietly, "Klaus is the vampire that-"

"I know who Klaus is," Grams interrupted her, "Did this Jonas Martin tell you just how you could channel this energy?"

"No, but he has all these grimoires at their apartment," Bonnie replied, "The spell has to be in there somewhere, I know it."

Grams was quiet for a moment.

"Now, you know I don't like you involved in all of this vampire business-" She started.

"Grams," Bonnie tried to interrupt, but Grams shot her a stern look, which quieted the younger witch.

"But," Grams continued, "I know that you're going to do this anyway because of your friends. So I'm going to tell you the spell on one condition."

"You know what it is?" Bonnie asked, elated.

Grams arched an eyebrow and Bonnie was silent again. "I want you to promise me that you're not going to let vampires or werewolves or your friends, or anyone, use you for your powers, Bonnie. You're not going be like the Martins who use dark magic or the sister or anyone. You're going to be you and keep the balance as a witch should. Do you understand me?"

Bonnie looked at her Grams and heard her firm voice and she nodded slowly.

"Yes."

"Good. Now I'm going to tell you the spell and you're going to find that witch burial to help your friends kick Klaus' backside into hell, once and for all."

.

.

.

The Salvatore's and their Gilbert's unconsciously migrated towards the Boarding House where Damon fixed himself and drink and sprawled lengthwise on the couch with his head resting on Elena's lap, while Steph and Jeremy sat together in the loveseat.

"Do you really think that word of the doppelgänger has spread so quickly?" Elena finally asked. Stephanie raised her head to look at her friend and saw the anxiety that underlined her face.

"While I don't trust a word of what Isobel says," Stephanie said when it looked like no one else would answer, "I don't think it would be wise to just ignore the warning."

"You know what?" Damon asked Elena, "You should just stay here; even Lassie can hang about. It's safer for you, because we can keep an eye on you each." He smirked.

Elena glowered at him, her lips puckering and a line forming in between her brow, while Stephanie looked at her brother incredulously.

"What? You want them to stay in the house that any vampire can enter? No," Stephanie said flatly, "That's ridiculous. Her house is safer than here is."

"Then we can all just have one big slumber party at Elena's," Damon said easily, "Maybe we'll have a pillow fight."

Stephanie rolled her eyes.

"Is that the plan – to never let me out of your sight again?" Elena asked.

"I'm seeing a few flaws in that," Jeremy added mildly.

"Unless you come up with a better one, darling," Damon said with a sharp edged smile.

"Then one of my bodyguards is going to have to come with me to the Lockwood Luncheon," Elena said with a tilt of her head, eyeing Damon. Her phone beeped and she checked it, frowning.

"It's Bonnie," She after a moment, "She has a spell for the channeling thing and she wants to know if you know where the site of the burial is."

"No," Damon said, nodding his head.

"Have no idea," Stephanie added, with sharp nod and a finger to her lips.

"Don't get quiet on my account," They heard Katherine drawl a second later, and the vampire lazily walked into the living room. "If anyone has a plan to combat the impending vampire doom, do tell."

The four of them said nothing, exchanging looks with each other. Katherine became disgruntled, "Seriously. What is the plan? I delivered you a moonstone, werewolf, and a dagger to lure and kill Klaus and right now, all that you have a moonstone. Or did you lose that, too?"

"Nah, we've got that," Damon assured her.

"Where?" Katherine eyed Damon.

"In a very safe place," Damon said smirking.

"I've been honest with you; time for you to return the favor," Katherine shot back.

"You want me to be honest with you?" Damon asked her with narrowed eyes, "Okay. Don't mistake the fact that you've not been set on fire in your sleep for trust."

Katherine folded her arms over her chest pettily, "Fine. Be that way." She turned and stomped away. The four of them left quickly got up and left the Boarding House for Damon's car.

"Tell me where Witchy is and I'll go with her to the burial site," Damon told Elena quickly.

"You want me to come with you?" Elena asked him as she texted Bonnie back, "Bonnie might be more . . . open if I'm there."

"Thought you wanted to go to your little luncheon at the werewolf's place?" Damon asked with a twist of his lips.

"I really was only going to except this thing for Jenna, but . . ." Elena looked at her brother pleadingly, and Jeremy nodded his head.

"Sure. I haven't gotten in my quo of Lockwood parties this month," He turned to Stephanie and smiled, "Be my date?"

"I would love to," Steph grinned.

"Great, the love birds can go and do that," Damon said as he got into the driver's side of his car and pulled Elena in on the passenger seat, "We'll go deal with Witchy and hopefully get a way for her to defeat Klaus. Have fun." He drove off, leaving Stephanie and Jeremy to themselves.

Steph looked up at Jeremy wryly. "Another Lockwood party?"

"I'm pretty sure that they're the only form of entertainment in Mystic Falls," Jeremy nodded seriously, "It's probably why there are so many drunks sitting in the Grill." He proffered his arm, "Our chariot awaits?"

"If you can call my little car a chariot, then yes," Stephanie agreed and took Jeremy's arm and walked with him to her classic vehicle that she prized almost as much as Damon loved his Camaro. They went to the Lockwood's and promptly ran into an anxious Caroline, who was still looking for Matt.

"We'll help you as soon as Jeremy gets this thing for Jenna," Stephanie promised her, gripping her friend's hand tightly is support. Caroline squeezed back with a watery smile and then walked out of the house out onto the grounds.

"Maybe he'll come around," Steph said to Jeremy, "You did."

"But we weren't dating when I found out you were a vampire," Jeremy pointed out, "And I drew scary monsters as a kid; I can't say I'm exactly normal."

"Well, in that case," Stephanie corrected herself, "Elena came around to Damon."

"You got me," Jeremy said, rolling his eyes as he and Steph walked forwards, hand in hand, to Carol Lockwood to get the check for Miranda Gilbert's foundation.

.

.

.

He eyed the apartment with distaste; it had off white walls and hard wood floor, and was already completely furnished, not that he'd actually be spending much time in it. His boots clicked on the floor as he walked towards the bedroom. The bed was only the best that money could buy with soft Egyptian sheets and silk feather pillows; his ornately decorated bed was old and comfortable, not to mention spacious enough to fit an entire volleyball team in it.

"What are you doing, admiring your bed? You're certainly not really going to be sleeping in it, you do realize, don't you?" He turned around to look at his beloved sister who was as beautiful and ferocious as a tiger huntress.

"Of course, dear sister, but I can only have the finest, even if it will only be my body resting in there," Klaus told Rebekah imperiously.

She snorted, which told him about how much she really cared for his sentiment. "Why do I have to hide out here with your body while you have all the fun?" She complained.

"I need someone I can trust to keep an eye on everything, Rebekah, you know this," Klaus drawled, "We've only been over it several times now."

"But what about your witchy friends – Maddox and Greta?" Rebekah sneered.

"You know I don't trust them and I know that you don't either," Klaus told her with a smirk, "So, why don't you just settle in until Maddox brings in the teacher for the exchange, why don't you?"

Rebekah stifled an irritated noise that begged to escape from the back of her throat and turned around sharply before she said something might regret later. "Well," She called over her shoulder, "If I'm going to be locked up in here with your dull body for who knows how long, I'm going to go out and enjoy myself first."

"Bekah-" Klaus called after her, but the blonde Original had already left the building in a huff, eager to find something to eat or play with before all of her fun would be ruined for the next few weeks.

.

.

.

Damon stood with his hands shoved into his pockets as he glared at the house, which had been built over the site of the witches' death and subsequent burial. Elena and Bonnie had been welcomed, but Damon had been shunned by the spirits of the hundred dead witches inside so he was forced to wait on them outside.

"Hello, Damon."

The vampire groaned and turned around to see Isobel standing in front of him with an eerie smile on her face.

"I shouldn't have turned you," Damon said to her, but mostly to himself, "I should have left you to your failing marriage with Rick and then you could have divorced like a normal couple."

"I would have found another vampire to turn me," Isobel said simply, still smiling.

"What are you doing here?" Damon asked her, frowning at the younger vampire, "I thought we told you we didn't want your help."

"I'm here to cause a distraction," Isobel grinned, while Damon narrowed his eyes. He felt a beam of wood pierce his midsection and he let out an involuntary yell of pain, feeling the wood splinter off inside of his stomach and puncture his intestines.

The wood was twisted and he shouted louder, which unfortunately brought Elena running outside of the house.

"Damon!" She screamed.

"Get back inside; it's a trap!" Damon roared back and watched through blurring vision as she recoiled, but it was too late. The vampire who'd stabbed him let him fall to the ground and revealed herself.

"Katherine," He choked out, "I should've known."

She smirked and she slipped something from her bra and flashed it in front of Damon's face. "You'll be looking for this later, so to save you the trouble, I'll tell you now that it's pointless." In her hand was the moonstone, small in her palm. As Damon roared with anger, Isobel snatched Elena, and then the three women disappeared together, leaving Damon curling up around his wound, angrily cursing himself.

Katherine and Isobel ran with vampire speed, the latter holding tightly onto Elena's form. They stopped in the middle of the forest to Katherine's confusion.

"What the hell? We need to be moving, Isobel," Katherine snapped.

"I'm sorry," Isobel said quietly.

"What's going on?" Elena asked and Isobel quickly knocked her out, making the human girl fall to the forest floor, unconscious.

"What is going on, Isobel?" Katherine advanced on the other woman.

"I'm sorry," Isobel repeated, "But I had to do what I was told; he wanted you and the moonstone."

Fear washed over Katherine's face. "'He', who?"

Isobel nodded and a second later, a stocky white man emerged from the trees with his hands raised towards Katherine. The older vampire screamed as she went down, cradling her head as she moaned quietly and eventually her eyes slit closed.

"There she is, Maddox," Isobel said, "Katherine and the moonstone." Quickly, as fast she could, Isobel picked up Elena and sped away from the meadow site and to the car she had parked a little more than a mile away. She pushed Elena into the backseat and quickly got into the front, driving away.

.

.

.

Caroline left the Lockwood party before Stephanie and Jeremy were finished with their errand and headed over to her house. She called Matt several more times, but the he refused to answer his phone, either letting it ring or dismissing the call.

Caroline sighed as she walked up her steps of her house and wondered if Matt was ever going to talk to her again. She opened her door and stepped through, only to stop in wonderment.

"Matt?" She asked, amazed.

"Your mom brought me here," He said quietly.

Apprehension built in Caroline. "My mom?"

"I accused your mom of covering up Vicki's death," He said explained, "She threatened to arrest me."

"Did you tell her anything else?" Caroline asked nervously.

"Nothing about you," Matt confirmed, "I had a feeling she wouldn't believe anything I said, so . . . I shut up and she brought me here to cool down."

"Matt," Caroline said and walked towards him to comfort the boy, but he stepped back. Stung, Caroline asked, "Why'd you stick around if you're still scared of me?"

"Because I need to know more . . . about Vicki . . . about you."

"I'll tell you everything," Caroline promised softly. And she did.

Matt sat in stunned silence for several minutes before looking up at Caroline with anguished blue eyes. "I want you to make me forget again."

"WH-what?" Caroline stuttered, "I don't think-"

"Please make me forget, Caroline," Matt said, standing away from her, "I don't want to look at you and see what I'm seeing right now."

"Maybe after a while-"

"Just make me forget, Caroline!"

"Okay," Caroline said as her voice choked up, "Okay." She stood and slowly walked over to Matt's side and stood in front of him. She placed her palms on either side of his face and looked him in the eyes and compelled him.

.

.

.

Stephanie and Jeremy left the Lockwood home shortly after the presentation and looked for Caroline and Matt.

"I don't see them," Jeremy said after a second loop around the house, "Caroline must have found him somewhere or something. Stephanie's phone chirped and she looked at her text and paled dramatically. "What's wrong?" Jeremy asked.

"It's Elena," Steph said grimly, "She's been kidnapped by Isobel and Katherine." They hurried away from the house and Jeremy asked, "What about the witch thing Bonnie was looking into with them?"

"Went perfectly fine," Stephanie said distractedly as they met up with Damon, who was wincing but otherwise fine. They took his car to the place he swore was the place Isobel was staying.

"This place?" Stephanie asked, eyeing the large mansion like building.

"Better be," Damon growled, "It's the nicest building in town."

"I swear to God, if she isn't here," Jeremy said, furious that Elena had been taken from right under their noses.

"You're a major pessimist," Damon snapped, but didn't say whether or not he thought Elena would be in the house. The three of them, Jeremy loaded up with a gun filled with wooden bullets, strode up the large foreclosed home.

Stephanie pushed open the door and the three of them spread out, "I'll take the upstairs," She said and the other two nodded. Damon started in a direction downstairs and Jeremy went the other way towards the kitchen. Stephanie searched the entire upstairs, but came running back down when she found nothing.

"This is Isobel's stuff," Damon told them, "so this is the right place."

"Where are they?" Stephanie growled to herself.

"I don't know, Stephanie," Damon snapped, "That's why we're looking."

"Calm down," Jeremy told them, "We need clear heads if we're going to find Elena." The gun held in his hand was unwieldy and looked out of place with him.

Steph and Damon grudgingly apologized to each other and they all left Isobel's home and headed for Damon's car.

"Where do we go next?" Jeremy asked from the backseat, but his question was unnecessary for Damon's phone started to shriek.

He scrambled to answer it and hung up a moment later. "It was Elena," He said quickly as he pulled out of the driveway, "She's at Grove hill Cemetery."

.

.

.

Once Elena was safe back at the Boarding House, she filled everyone in on what she'd found out: Isobel had been compelled by Klaus to betray Katherine, who was now in the Original's clutches, along with the moonstone and a very powerful warlock who was working with him.

"Isobel took this off," She said and showed them the lapis lazuli stone set into a necklace, making Stephanie touch her own ring that hung in the hollow of her throat, "and let herself burn. I think it was a part of her compulsion. I never thought I'd feel bad about her being dead, but . . ." Elena sighed and looked down while Damon moved to sit next to her.

"She was your mother," Stephanie told her gently.

"Why did they let you go?" Jeremy asked Elena, and the question awkwardly hung in the air.

"We have to assume that everything John told Isobel, Klaus knows, right?" Stephanie asked, "So he knows that Elena's not going to turn herself into a vampire, knows he has all of us keeping her safe."

"He knows I'm not going to run," Elena realized.

"Which is why," Damon pulled some papers out from behind him and set them into Elena's lap, "we need to take some precautions. Because we got played; all of us."

"What's this?" Elena asked as Jeremy stood to get a better look.

"A deed to the house," Damon said airily, "to our house. As soon as you sign it, you own it."

"You're giving me your house," Elena stated flatly.

"Isobel had the right idea," Damon told her, "of a safe house. You can just stay here until it's all over. Lassie can stay too, I guess."

"That way, you can control who gets invited in and who doesn't," Stephanie said quietly.

Elena hesitated, but then sighed. "Who has a pen?"

"When we're done here, by the way," Damon said, "We need to have a little chat with Uncle John."

.

.

.

"I did it. I drank that vervain stuff, went over there, and got her to tell me everything. And then I asked her to take it away," Matt told Sheriff Forbes quietly as he sat into her car.

"Thank you, Matt. I need you to tell me everything she told you."

.

.

.

Bonnie felt a calm sense of peace as she went to check on her Grams, who was sitting up in her bed.

"Hey," Bonnie smiled at her, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Grams said, "I'm just fine. I felt that you did – the channeling. It was . . . very powerful. More than even I thought it would be." She eyed Bonnie, and the younger witch felt a little guilt at not telling her Grams what she'd found out from Emily and the other witches.

"It was wonderful," Bonnie said instead of admitting the monumental secret she was keeping to herself now, "It was like nothing I'd ever felt before."

"Just be careful," Her Grams warned her, "Just be careful."

.

.

.

Katherine woke up weak and aching on the hard wooden floor of an apartment to the chanting of a witch. She immediately felt the absence of her lapis lazuli necklace and her gaze shot over to a chair and the witch. Someone was lurking the shadows, but Katherine couldn't make out who it was, but she slowly got to her feet as the chanting came to a halt.

Her eyes widened when she saw the history teacher, Alaric Saltzman stand and walk towards her.

"Alaric," She whispered. The man grinned and Katherine flashed to the front door of the apartment, only to be slammed backwards; she was trapped by the witch.

"Where do you think you're going, Katarina?" A dry accented voice asked from the darkened corners of the room, making Katherine freeze.

Alaric stepped up to Katherine and murmured, "It's the lovely Katarina." He cupped her face in his palms and fear gripped Katherine's heart in its icy clutches.

"Klaus," She whispered.

"That's right," The voice from the corner said again and a familiar blonde woman stepped out of the shadows. Rebekah looked at her nails and then at Katherine with a bored expression on her face.

"While Klaus goes out to get his doppelgänger and woo his girl again, you get to stay here with me to have some girl time. Doesn't that sound like fun, Katarina?" Rebekah's smiled was like a double bladed sword.

Katherine closed her eyes and wished for death.

.

.

.

tbc


	17. your heart's on fire, but you're cold to the touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You hit me once  
> I hit you back  
> You gave a kick  
> I gave a slap  
> You smashed a plate over my head  
> Then I set fire to our bed
> 
> "Broke your jaw once before  
> Spilt your blood upon the floor  
> You broke my leg in return  
> So let's sit back and watch the bed burn
> 
>  
> 
> "Well love sticks sweat drips  
> Break the lock if it don't fit  
> A kick in the teeth is good for some  
> A kiss with a fist is better than none  
> A-woah a kiss worth a fist is better than none."
> 
> -Kiss With a Fist; Florence + the Machine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any quotes borrowed/modified

Rebekah eyed the vampire called Katarina, or better known as Katherine in this century, who could do little to disguise her pounding heart that belied her anxiety. Her long brown hair had been straightened from its usual springy curls and her clothes were obviously the newest doppelgänger's; they were much more conservative that Katarina would normally dress.

Maddox, the witch Klaus had acquired, was out doing some business on the behalf of her brother, while her Klaus' body resided in the back room, protected by a number of spells and of course, Rebekah herself. Klaus was in the back room with his body, making sure everything was comfortable for when he was away.

"You look a little nervous, Katarina," Rebekah said silkily, "What's the matter?" She arched her golden brows and carefully folded her arms across her chest, careful not to bunch the fabric of her new blouse. Her boots seemingly clicked loudly as she started to walk towards the younger vampire and didn't bother to hide the smirk that had settled on her bright red lips.

Katarina glared at her furiously. "Let me go."

Rebekah came to a stop a foot from Katarina and tilted her head, "No, I don't think so. Nik wants a little revenge and I'll admit I'd like some of my own, Katarina."

"What revenge?" The other spat, "I've been on the rum for five hundred years because of you two and Elijah."

Rebekah's face twisted and she quickly removed the space between her and Katarina, and her shot out to grip Katarina by her neck, choking her. "You think you know about running?" Rebekah whispered into her ear, "Niklaus and I have been running for nearly our entire vampire lives, which, I must say, has been a bit longer than a measly five hundred years." She hit Katarina against the wall and heard a satisfying crack of the younger vampire's skull. Rebekah let her go and Katarina slowly slid to the floor, her pupils blown.

"Now, now, Bekah, leave Katarina alone for a moment," Klaus's voice drawled, "Come and tell me, which looks better; the blue or the black?" Klaus smirked as he held up each shirt for his sister to inspect.

"Darker colors suit you," Rebekah rolled her eyes, "You're almost worse than Kol was," She added as an afterthought.

"Right, thanks, Bekah," Klaus said dismissively and pulled on the black shirt. He walked over to Katarina and smiled as her anxiety rose at his proximity. He leant down so that he was eye level with her on the floor. "Pop quiz, sweetheart; the dagger and white ash are in the Salvatore's possession, yes or no?"

"The dagger," Katarina said quietly, "was used to kill Elijah; you'll find his body in the Salvatore's basement. They use it more as a dungeon, though." The corner of lips turned down into a grimace.

"Okay, that dagger needs to stay exactly where it is," Klaus said as he straightened up and walked over to the sofa chair across the room. He picked up a black jacket that hung on the back and pulled it on, adjusting the collar.

"Nik," Rebekah said warningly, "I think we should un-dagger Elijah; he might help us."

"No, he won't," Klaus snapped and his eyes flashed angrily, "We don't need him running around trying to mess up my plans." His mood visibly turned around and he added with a devilish smirk, "Elijah's such a buzz kill, anyway, Bekah." Klaus looked back at Katarina and asked, "Anything else I should know?"

"Don't forget you and girlfriend aren't talking to each other," Katarina said venomously, "Neither of your girlfriends, actually."

Rebekah sent a glare in Katarina's direction that mostly silenced the younger vampire, but Klaus just smirked. "Not for long, my dear. Now, the girlfriend's name is Jenna and she's Elena's aunt. That it?"

"Yes. That's all," She replied as she stood from the floor, her pride not letting her use the wall as a brace even though the room still spun on its axis. Klaus walked over to her predatorily and Katarina watched him warily. He raised a hand and let a finger caress her face, making her tremble.

"So jumpy," Klaus murmured and sent Rebekah a grin.

"Please just kill me; I've told you everything that I know," Katarina begged quietly, but Klaus merely took another step in her direction.

"See," He made sure to keep eye contact, "I believe that you believe that-"

"I don't," Rebekah snarled.

"But what do you not know?" Klaus plowed on quietly, "What are they keeping from you, sweetheart? Anything. _Tell me_." Klaus felt a flash of pleasure as Katarina's mouth opened and the secret she'd been keeping spilled out, "They were trying to have find a way for Bonnie to kill an Original without a dagger."

"Bonnie?" Klaus asked neutrally, "The little Bennett witch?"

"Yes," Katarina murmured, "Elena's best friend."

"Well, I'm going to have to get to the bottom of that mystery, won't I?" Klaus said as real irritation flooded him. He'd not have some upstart witch ruin his hundreds of years of effort and searching for the doppelgänger. He wasn't going to spend much longer as a regular Original – soon, he'd be what he'd been born to be.

"Please, just kill me," Katarina begged and her voice grinded on Klaus' eardrums. He turned a disbelieving look towards her.

"And you show you kindness? That's rich coming from you, darling. Five hundred years . . ." Klaus trailed off, thinking of the five centuries he'd spent, knowing he'd been thisclose to finally freeing his self from his curse, "No, Katarina. You're death is going to last at least half of that." He gloried in the fear in her eyes.

"Bekah, I'm going out. Keep our guest entertained, would you? She looks bored," Klaus drawled as he pulled out a pocket knife, "Use this for some creative artwork, if you'd like, sister. Just don't get any blood on the upholstery."

Rebekah caught the knife as he tossed her to her and he lingered for not a moment more, disappearing from the apartment. Rebekah turned to Katarina.

" _Sit down_ ," She hissed, "in that chair." She pointed to a wooden chair on the other side of the room and watched as Katarina obediently walked over there and planted herself down into the chair with her shaking hands setting themselves onto her knees.

"Now," Rebekah strolled over to her slowly, " _I want you to take this knife and stab yourself in the leg, over and over again. When you get bored of that, do the other leg._ Do you understand?"

"Yes," Katarina ground out and she took the knife from Rebekah as the Original held it out to her. Under Rebekah's watchful gaze, she maneuvered the knife so that it was point down and raised it up. Quickly, Katarina brought it back down onto her thigh and stifled a scream.

"That's a girl," Rebekah crooned, "Again, please." She turned around and walked into the kitchen and Katarina listened as she rifled through the cabinets. When the Original had returned, she wore thick gloves and held a glass vial that sat in palm of her hand. Inside were little bits of wood that Katarina frowned at.

She stabbed herself again.

"Do you know what this is?" Rebekah asked idly as she tilted her head to watch Katarina mutilate herself.

"No," She ground out in reply.

"These," Rebekah held up the vial and unstopped the cork, "Are hawthorn thorns; they've been bewitched by our friend, Maddox. As soon as a vampire touches the hawthorn, she'll lose her strength along with some of the blood in her body. You want to know the best part?"

Wordlessly, Katarina nodded her head and her heart thrummed furiously in its ribcage.

Rebekah grinned, "They block the curative properties of human blood; you won't heal." Katarina felt herself paling even as Rebekah started to poor the thorns out. " _Lay your arms still on the chair_ ," Rebekah compelled and Katarina obliged her.

Rebekah shook the thorns out onto Katarina's bare skin and pressed them into her flesh.

Katarina screamed.

* * *

"Do you really think that Bonnie can take on Klaus?"

The Salvatore siblings were standing just outside of the Boarding House in the front yard. They stood on a porch like structure with a roof over their heads and stone walls that reached up to Damon's thighs and Stephanie's hips. Damon leant far over the wall with his elbows resting on the top and kind of sideways against a stone pillar that helped stand up the home.

Stephanie stood in the opposite direction, her gaze settled on a window that was blocked with a thick red velvet curtain that shielded a room. She was leaning back a little on a pillar behind her, her eyes pensive. Both of the Salvatore's were clad in black leather jackets and their customary boots, while Steph wore a black blouse and Damon a navy blue button up shirt.

Steph turned her gaze to Damon's hunched form. "She said she could channel enough of the witch's power to kill them. Elijah thought that would work and he was an Original," She shrugged and watched as Damon straightened up.

Damon frowned in contemplation as he walked towards Stephanie. "We just need to find him."

Him. Klaus; the bane of their existence.

"Yup," Stephanie agreed quietly and Damon turned to look at her with inquisitive eyes.

"Can't Judgy do one of her tracking spells to find the guy? He's gotta give off major psychic Power readings."

"Nope," Stephanie said as she hopped up onto the stone wall and crossed her arms, "Not unless she's got a personal artifact of Klaus'. Believe me; I already asked." They both sighed and Damon settled next to Steph on the wall.

"You think he killed her?" Damon asked.

Stephanie turned her head to look at Damon with surprise. "Katherine?" Damon met her gaze but said nothing. "Probably," Steph said quietly.

Damon tried to give her a nonchalant shrug. "It's not like she didn't have it coming."

"Yeah," Steph agreed quietly, looking down. They didn't have to wait for much longer as their front door opened, to the silent relief of both of them. A balding older man shook Elena's hand at the door and nodded towards the Salvatore siblings and he departed from their property. Jeremy walked up to stand just behind Elena's shoulder and gave Steph a quick grin.

Elena turned and was about to return to the living and Damon took a step to follow her, only to hit the invisible force that kept vampires from entering the homes of humans.

"Um."

Jeremy coughed, hiding laughter as Elena turned back around with a flush rising in her cheeks. "I completely forgot. Stephanie, Damon, you may now come into my house," She smiled as Damon walked up to her and looked down at his girlfriend with an affected frown.

"You were going to lock me out of my own house," He accused.

"Technically, it's her house now," Jeremy said unhelpfully and Stephanie giggled as she stepped over the threshold and over to Jeremy's side.

"Crate, Lassie," Damon said mock seriously and Jeremy scowled.

"I'm not a dog, Damon," He said acerbically.

"I don't know; you act like one most of the time," Damon said as he twisted his lips into something that barely resembled a smile.

"Damon," Stephanie snapped, "I know that you're stressed, but knock it off. Now." Damon raised his hands but the atmosphere was still tense until Bonnie appeared with her bag and Elena's jacket.

"Thanks, Bonnie," Elena smiled as she shrugged into her jacket, "Ready, Jere?"

"Yeah," Jeremy grumbled and Stephanie kissed the top of his hand.

"Wait," Damon said, eyes swinging to Elena's form, "Where are you going?"

"School," Elena said in a tone that implied, 'duh.'

"No, you're not," Damon said with arched brows and an incredulous tone, "We didn't create a safe house for you to leave it. You just signed the deed; you're golden."

"While I agree that education is important," Stephanie backed up Damon with crossed arms, "We all know that Klaus is out there."

"But where?" Elena asked rhetorically as she tilted her head at her friend, and when Stephanie said nothing, added, "See? No one knows where Klaus is and I can't put my life on hold for him. He will have already have won if I just stop doing my routine; I won't let him control me like that."

Damon's face showed his annoyance, but he ground out, "Your way, Elena. But don't think Rick isn't going to keep an eye on you to keep you out of trouble."

"Don't worry," Bonnie cut in as she looked at Damon, "I'm ready. As soon as I see his face, I can take him; I know how to now."

"See?" Elena said with a grin as she took Bonnie's hand, "Next to Bonnie is the safest place I could possibly be right now." She inclined her head to the witch, "Come on."

She, Bonnie, and a reluctant Jeremy started out and Stephanie and Damon exchanged incredulous looks. "Wait," Stephanie said, "I'm, um, I'm coming too." She picked up her bag next to the front door and slid it onto her shoulder before slipping her hand into Jeremy's. Jere shut the door behind them all, leaving Damon to his self at the house.

Steph, Jere, Elena, and Bonnie all piled into Elena's moderately sized car; Elena and Bonnie up front, and Stephanie and Jeremy in the back.

"No funny business back there," Elena teased and Jeremy rolled his eyes while Steph flushed red. They drove to school and all went to their first class without any sight of their bubbly blonde vampire friend, which surprised, but didn't alarm the group.

"See you later," Jeremy and Stephanie said their goodbyes, and the three girls walked to class.

"I feel like this is the start to a bad joke," Elena announced, "A vampire, a doppelgänger, and a witch walk into history . . ."

Stephanie and Bonnie giggled at their friend, which broke a little of the lingering tension between them that was left over from the Martin debacle. The three sat in a row towards the back and Elena pulled a colorful sheet of paper out of her binder and waved it in front of Steph's face.

The vampire took a look at the words and mimed the word 'no' over and over again, her face pulled into a sharp frown. Elena pouted and turned the advertisement for their 60s dance towards Bonnie, who nodded and grinned at the idea. Elena shot Steph a victorious look which made Stephanie roll her eyes, but know that she'd be roped into the dance anyway.

"Hello, class," Alaric called as he walked into the room carrying a small binder that he set onto his desk. He faced his students, "What are learning today?"

"With the decade dance coming up, we've been learning about the sixties all week," A girl in the front row, Dana, said helpfully.

"Right," Alaric said, "The sixties," He smiled and his gaze went to Elena and sat there for a few moments before sliding over to Stephanie. A discernible look crossed his eyes, but before Steph could attempt to understand it, the man turned away from them and towards the blackboard.

"The sixties," Alaric repeated, and then said quieter, almost to himself, "I wish I could say something good about the sixties," which made a few smatterings of laughter crop up. He turned back to the class, "Actually, they sucked. Except for the Beatles, of course. They made it bearable. What else was there? There was the human missile thing, the uh, we walked on the moon," He raised a hand a twirled it a little, "there was Watergate."

"Watergate was in the 70s, Rick," Elena's dryly amused voice said and Stephanie looked over at her, surprised at the casualness she addressed Alaric, but she smiled, charmed at the slip. A lot of the class turned to look at her too, which Elena realized her error and sink down into her chair in pure embarrassment.

"Mister Saltzman," Elena quickly corrected herself.

"Right. It kind of mushes together up here," Alaric grinned, "The 60s and 70s, anyway. Thank you." He turned back to the blackboard and Stephanie heard him sigh. She frowned, but the class resumed.

Lunch arrived for the girls just as it was ending for Jeremy and they passed each up as they transitioned from class to the lunch room. Bonnie and Elena head inside with the latter giving her a wink as they left Stephanie with Jere in the hallway.

"How was History?" Jeremy asked after they quickly kissed to avoid being seen and cited by a teacher for PDA. Whatever Damon said, Steph was careful not to get in trouble at school concerning rules like that. Mostly. Sometimes.

"Rick was weird," Stephanie replied and her eyes narrowed it in thought, "He was acting a little off. You know that he didn't remember what he was teaching us?"

Jeremy laughed off her concern, "Everyone has an off day, Steph, us more than most. I think Alaric's earned a bit of a crazy day, what with all the weirdness that's been happening with Klaus."

Stephanie nodded but pressed her lips together in thought. The warning bell boomed and Jeremy quickly left with one last good bye and Steph went to find her seat with Bonnie and Elena. When she got there though, the girls were up in arms with panic.

"What happened?" Stephanie demanded. What could possibly happen in five minutes? A lot, a traitorous part of her mind whispered.

"Klaus compelled a girl to tell me to 'save him the last dance,'" Elena hissed, "He's been here and he's made his first move."

"We need to leave," Bonnie put in as her eyes raked the cafeteria, "He might still be here."

Stephanie nodded and walked with her friends outside, only pausing when Elena asked, "Should we go get Jeremy?"

Stephanie waited until the other two were in the car before setting off back towards the school. She located Jeremy's class with relative ease and stood in the door's slit of a window and beckoned him towards her. His face was looking down; doodling, though, and he didn't notice her for several seconds. When he did, he startled and asked the teacher if he could go; he was feeling ill and like he was about to throw up.

The teacher reluctantly waved him off and Stephanie ducked down until Jeremy was out the door and they made their escape.

"Thanks for the rescue," Jeremy smiled brightly, "Ms. Carter is a drag when she gets on a roll about the Indus River Valley society."

Stephanie tried to muster a smile but she couldn't get her facial muscles to obey her, staying in their tense and anxious expression. Jeremy took notice.

"What happened?" He asked quickly, "Is it Elena?"

Stephanie explained with Elena and Bonnie as they drove back the Boarding House, where they told Damon of their findings, to which he wasted little time saying 'I told you so' into their faces.

He went to add, "I say we go to the dance and find him." He paced in their front foyer with Elena and Bonnie one side and Stephanie and Jeremy on the other.

"How are we going to do that?" Stephanie asked Damon with raised eyebrows and a tone of voice that said she was irritated, "We don't know what he looks like."

"Well, he's not going to be sixteen and pimply," Damon drawled to her.

"He can be anywhere and at any time," Stephanie said flatly, "He compelled someone at school today." They were interrupted by Alaric sliding into the house with a sheepish grin.

"It's about time you got here," Damon drawled.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Rick said as he shut the door and walked over to them. Damon waved off the apology and said, "I need you to put me down as a chaperone for the dance tonight." He narrowed his eyes, "Klaus made his first move."

Alaric tilted his head and nodded.

"So, we catch him ay the dance, and then what?" Elena asked with a frown, "What's our plan of attack?"

"Me," Bonnie said, seemingly surprised that anyone would have any doubt, "I'm the plan. He has no idea how much power I can channel. If you can find him, I can kill him."

There was silence for a moment, but then Alaric chuckled, making everyone stare.

"It's not going to be that easy, though, is it? I mean, he is the biggest, baddest vampire around," He said to them all.

"Alaric has a point," Damon pointed out, "I mean, what if he-" He flashed over to Bonnie and went to bite her neck, but the witch merely raised her hand and the vampire flew backwards and fell onto a coffee table, splintering the wood and sending the things sitting on it airborne.

"Well, I was impressed," Stephanie raised her hand and Jeremy guffawed.

"It doesn't matter if he's an Original," Bonnie said with a side long glance towards Stephanie, "I can take down anyone who comes at me." She walked over to Elena and said quietly, "I can kill him. I know I can."

Elena smiled and nodded her head.

* * *

Klaus made his way back to his apartment to find Katarina's legs bloody and her arms desiccating. Rebekah was sprawled on the loveseat, a bored expression on her face. Her eyes flicked to Klaus' when he entered, but went back to Katarina, who seemed to be fish out of water with the rasping noises she was making.

"Keeping our guest entertained, then?" Klaus inquired as he shrugged out of his jacket and changed his shirt.

"Of course," Rebekah drawled and she stood, straightening her wrinkled clothes, "Now," She demanded, "Tell me what you've discovered."

"Katarina was right;" Klaus was pained to admit, "The witch is all juiced up and ready to kill." He turned his head when he heard a noise in the kitchen, but was just Maddox fixing himself a drink.

"That's terrible," Katarina deadpanned.

"We're going to have to kill the dramatics, unfortunately," Klaus said, "Do you think this Alaric guy has anything vintage, Bekah?"

"No," Rebekah said, "Because he's a vampire hunter and they have anything worth wearing. Except," She tilted her head up in thought, "There were those brothers, you remember? The older one had a delightful taste in jackets."

"Yes, right before they tried to kill us," Klaus said wryly as he turned towards the dresser and rifled through its contents, finding some weapons. He furrowed his brow, "Who is this guy?"

"He's the local vampire hunter, keep up Klaus," Rebekah snapped as she rolled her eyes, "those are some crossbows, wooden bullets, and some automatics," Rebekah called to him, "I saw them."

"Ah, right."

"I've got some of the best bourbon I could find," Maddox said as he walked around the kitchenette and towards Klaus. Not making the drink for himself, then, Klaus noted as he took the glass.

"I knew I liked you for a reason," Klaus smirked, "But I'm sure I could take some bourbon from the Salvatore house; Big Brother stocks up on the stuff by the gallon."

Rebekah snorted and Klaus turned back to Maddox, "Now, there's a sixties dance tonight-"

"I hated the sixties," Rebekah muttered to Katarina, who glared.

"- and I need you to take care of Witch Bitch for me."

"With her enhanced power, she'll be able to sense me coming from a mile away," Maddox said, "I won't be able to get near her. You have to do it."

"In this body?" Klaus scoffed, "I'm a haggard history teacher; she'll be able to hurt me." Not one to sound vulnerable or let his pride suffer, he added, "Not me, Klaus me, you know what I mean."

"No witch could handle that much power," Maddox said, "It will kill her; it would kill me. You just have to make her use it."

"You mean . . . provoking her to death?" Klaus raised an eyebrow.

"It shouldn't be that hard for you, Nik," Rebekah said slyly, "You're good at being an irritant."

Klaus rolled his eyes at her and Maddox continued, "She's right though, it won't be that hard or long. She'll tire out. His body, Alaric's, will last longer that hers will."

"How?" Klaus asked as he narrowed his eyes at the witch, "He's human."

Maddox smiled. "I can help in that department. I can do a spell to protect you."

Klaus slanted his head in thought.

And grinned.

* * *

Jeremy turned his head and saw Stephanie and it still amazed him how she could steal his breath away. She was in a sleeveless pink dress that had roses patterned all over it, spaced well, and had a good silhouette. The waist was high and skirt was full, which gives it a very vintage look, perfect for the sixties. It wasn't a slinky cut, and it fit her flawlessly. He could see her own rose tattoo sitting on her slim neck along with the back of her chain that held her lapis lazuli ring to her throat.

"Beautiful," He announced when she turned around and Stephanie graced him with a large smile.

"You're looking very handsome yourself," She said with a quirky grin.

Jeremy shrugged and let his hand sweep over him and his sixties suit. "It's nothing fancy."

"It fits you perfectly," Stephanie was suddenly in his personal space and stretching on her toes to reach his ear.

Jeremy's heart started to race as Stephanie placed a hand on his neck that was flushed as bright red as a tomato. He bent down and cradled Stephanie's face in his palms and kissed her while his heart fluttered. Stephanie smiled into his lips.

"I love you," She murmured.

"I love you too," Jeremy grinned.

"Any time tonight, please," Damon drawled and the two looked over to see Damon in a suit if not a tux, and Elena dressed as a "sexy hippie."

Jeremy and Stephanie broke apart and left with Elena and Damon, arriving at the dance together to find Bonnie and hopefully see Caroline.

Everything was in full swing when they arrived, lightings swinging and the music pulsing. Hearts thrummed and bodies pumped to the rhythm.

They found Bonnie first, who greeted Elena with a hug and a smile. "You look nice."

"You too," Elena returned.

"You guys ready to do this?" Stephanie asked and everyone nodded. They walked further into the gymnasium and Elena and Damon danced slowly, while Jeremy coerced Steph into a quick move or two while Bonnie disappeared into the crowd.

"Hey, everyone, I hope you're all having a great time tonight," A voice said through the microphone and Stephanie raised her head from where she'd been laying it against Jeremy's chest, "I have a special shout out to Elena Gilbert tonight, from Klaus." Everyone clapped but their little group of friends.

"That was a lame, cheap shot," Damon ground out and he let his irritation known.

"I know," Elena replied, "that he's here."

"Maybe he's not," Stephanie offered as she scanned the crowd, "Maybe he just wants to us to believe that he is."

"It's certainly messing with our heads; maybe that was the intention," Jeremy added.

"Well, this is a party, people, blend," Damon said, changing his tone, "Let him come to us."

"Great idea," Bonnie said, sprouting up again.

"There's Rick," Damon spotted his friend, "I'll be back," He told Elena, who nodded as Damon walked away, leaving them to themselves.

"Special dedication, huh?" Alaric greeted Damon and the vampire grimaced, "This guy's a little twisted."

"I'm not impressed," Damon said flatly, "The guy's overcompensating, if you know what I mean." He winked.

"You think?" Damon turned his eyes onto his friend and noticed Alaric seemed genuinely irritated. Interesting.

"Let me know if you see anything out of whack," Damon said instead of what he'd planned, and he walked away from the teacher and over to his girlfriend.

He got there just in time for Elena to twist from her brother's arms to his, and he arched an eyebrow.

"We were all dancing together," Elena explained, "Jere, Steph, and I. But I saw Caroline and sent them after her to explain everything."

Damon nodded. "How are you doing?"

"Freaking out a bit," Elena admitted, "You?"

"Cool as a cucumber," Damon winked, "Come on, remember the last decade dance? The vampires were all ahhh," He raised his hands around his face and made a growly noise, "and you were all 'ahhhh!'" He mocked her screaming in a falsetto, making Elena smile and laugh at him.

"Right and we won," Elena said, acknowledging the point he was making.

"Right, we did," Damon said and grasped her hands and placed them onto his slow beating heart before spinning her out again, and pulling her back.

"You're so good at this," Elena lamented with a smile.

"I've got moves you've never seen," Damon wiggled his eyebrows and his sharp blue eyes melted Elena's insides. Across the room, Stephanie engaged Caroline into a side by side friendly dance and the two spun around Jeremy.

"We have a problem;" Stephanie said to her quietly, "Klaus is here."

"What? Where?" Caroline asked, eyes widening. Her blonde hair was in a bob and her bright pink outfit was like a beacon in the gym.

"We have no idea where he is," Stephanie said, "So keep your eyes out for anything . . ."

"Weird," Jeremy finished, "The guy's a nut. He had Dana send a shout out for Elena over the microphone earlier."

Caroline nodded and Elena walked over to them to join their circle. Damon made his way over to Bonnie and stood next to her, offering a hand to the witch. She took it after a moment of hesitation and followed him onto the dance floor.

"So, Bonnie," Damon started, "What does Grandma have to say about your thing," he wiggled his fingers to emphasize magic.

She rolled her eyes. "She's fine. She helped me find the spell."

"Is there something you're not telling us?" Damon asked suspiciously.

"No," Bonnie replied serenely.

"I think there is," Damon sang as they swayed, "And it's something to do with your witchy mojo."

"Everything's fine, Damon," Bonnie said firmly.

"See, I think that you're lying to me," Damon said with a smile, but there was something icy in his gaze, "and I want to know the truth. Right now."

Bonnie's eyes fluttered closed for a moment, but they opened again and her gaze was strong as she met Damon's eyes. "When I channel all the power from the dead witches to kill Klaus, it's going to kill me too. The witches warned me, but I didn't tell Elena because I was afraid she would try and stop me from doing this," Her eyes were flinty, "I have to do this. You're not going to stop me."

"I'm not going to try," Damon said after a moment, "It doesn't pain me to say that I care more about Elena's life than yours. She'll be pissed when she finds out that I knew, but she's better off alive than happy, don't you think?"

"This might be one of the only times we agree about something," Bonnie said wryly, but the relief that he was going to keep her secret was visible.

"Did I just hear what I think I just heard?" The vampire and the witch spun around to see a livid Elena standing behind them, and Steph and Jeremy on either side of her.

Damon pursed his lips. "No?"

"Come with me," Elena said to Bonnie, and she glared viciously at Damon, "We're going to talk about this."

As soon as she was out of earshot, he muttered, "I look forward to it, Master Elena."

"How could you compromise Bonnie's life like that?" Stephanie's voice snapped Damon back to reality and he glared.

"Elena's life is more important to me that Bonnie's," Damon barked, "and it is to you too, you just won't admit it."

Stephanie glared at him. "No. I think we need another plan. No other innocent lives need to be lost."

"There is no other plan!" Damon carefully enunciated as if Steph were slow, "There's nothing else for us to do."

"Come on, Steph, let's just go out into the hallway and cool off," Jeremy said as he laid a hand onto Stephanie's arm, "Let Damon and Elena and Bonnie talk about this." Steph spun on her heel and Jeremy followed her into the hallway, which was only partially lit.

"You okay, Gilbert?" A voice called out and a young man stepped out of the shadows and he was quickly followed by four other guys. Stephanie stiffened.

"Not tonight," Jeremy said tiredly, "You're messing with the wrong guy on the wrong night."

The other teenagers charged them regardless, and Stephanie quickly lashed out to one that was attempting to put Jeremy in a choke hold. She remembered her strength and carefully knocked the boy out and turned to help Jeremy who was fighting off three other guys. They had him on the ground and was kicking him and beating him bloody, making Stephanie see red.

She went to stave off his attackers when one pulled out a crossbow and shot an wooden stake into her shoulder, making her stumble back a few steps.

"Klaus' minions, then?" Stephanie gasped and her fingers wrapped around the wood.

Damon appeared around the corner a moment later and he roared and charged at the humans.

"Don't kill them; they're compelled!" Stephanie shouted.

"Why not?" Damon growled.

"It's a distraction! Go back and find Bonnie and Elena; I've got this!" Damon debated for a moment more before he disappeared, flashing away while Stephanie took care of the rest of the compelled boys, knocking them out and dismantling their crossbows.

"Jeremy," She murmured as she ducked down by his side. He moaned and Stephanie bit into her wrist, letting a little blood flow as she put it close to Jeremy's mouth. He drank and blinked repeatedly and his wounds slowly started to heal.

Stephanie took her wrist away when she started to feel dizzy and a headache formed behind her eyes, gently disengaging from Jeremy's mouth. Steph helped hoist Jeremy up and they started to walk down the hall together when they found a frantic Elena.

"Stephanie!" She cried and they hurried to each other's sides, "Come on, we have to find Bonnie and Damon." They hurried through the hallway until they reached Damon.

"Where's Bonnie?" Elena yelped.

"Doing what she has to do," Damon said evasively.

"What?" Elena asked, gaping.

"Steph, let her alone, she's doing what she thinks is right. Isn't that what you always preach?"

"Damn it, Damon, where is she?" Stephanie demanded and Damon finally acquiesced. The four of them ran and found their resident witch, but she locked them out of the cafeteria where she was locked in a battle with Klaus.

"Bonnie, no!" Elena screamed and papers whirled and thunder boomed, followed by flashing lightening. Stephanie threw all of her weight against the door, which was admittedly not a lot. Bonnie screamed as raised her hand towards Klaus and sparks flew and room shook.

Bonnie's body became as stiff as a board and she was held up at an awkward angle until she fell to the ground, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

"No, Bonnie, no!" Elena sobbed as Stephanie finally got the door open. The vampire had a horrible feeling as to answer why the doors had just opened as the poured inside the room. Damon's absence was conspicuous, as was Klaus'.

Elena, Steph, and Jeremy knelt by the witch's prone body and tears streamed down Elena's face as she shook her best friend, wailing, "Bonnie, Bonnie, please, wake up." She turned her tearstained face towards Steph, "She's not breathing, Stephanie, and I can't find a pulse! Do something, please, Stephanie, please just do something; give her blood, anything."

Stephanie felt tears glisten in the corners of her own eyes and she shook her head miserably. She didn't even need to feel for Bonnie's pulse to know that the witch's heart had stopped and her respirations halted.

"It's too late, Elena, there's nothing I can do," Stephanie said quietly, "I'm sorry."

"No," Elena cried, "No, no, no, no, no, please, Bonnie, no." She shook her friend's body and Jeremy gently gathered his sister away from Bonnie and into his arms.

"Shh," He rocked her and Stephanie sat back with her fist in her mouth to keep from crying out for her friend.

Damon appeared in the doorway and said sharply, "Stephanie, get Elena out of here. I'll deal with the body." Stephanie slowly rose from her crouch.

"What do you mean, deal with it?" Elena snapped as Damon walked over to them.

"The Sheriff can't know about this," Damon said quietly, "The last thing she needs is another mysterious death-"

"This is Bonnie!" Elena screamed.

"Get her home, now," Damon said to Stephanie quiet and sternly, "So I can. Clean. This up."

Stephanie nodded and wiped her eyes as she crouched back down close to Jeremy and Elena. "Hey, hey, come on," Stephanie whispered to her friend, "It's going to be okay." Elena continued to wail even as Jeremy and Stephanie led her from the room.

* * *

Jeremy sat with Elena on the couch in the living room as Stephanie came into the living room, offering her a cup.

"Drink this," She murmured.

"No, I can't," Elena cried.

"Please, just drink this," Stephanie tried and Elena grasped the cup in her hands.

"It's my fault," Elena whispered, "It's my entire fault."

"No," Jeremy said before Steph could, "It's not. It's the bastard Klaus'. Nothing was your fault, Elena." Stephanie heard the front door open and watched as Damon crossed the threshold.

"What did you do with her?" Elena demanded as he came into sight.

"Would you calm down, please?" He asked, "Please, calm down."

She ignored him, "You knew," and slapped Damon across the face.

"And you need to listen to me," Damon said evenly, not even flinching, "And prepare for what I am about to say." Elena settled. "Bonnie had to die. Klaus using Alaric's body was a total surprise; she wasn't prepared for that. And he wasn't going to stop and we weren't going to be able to stop him until he knew she was dead. He had to believe it."

Elena's mouth opened into a gape. "He had to . . . believe it?"

"She cast a spell. Bonnie's okay." Tears still streamed down her face, but Elena let Damon enclose her into his arms for comfort.

* * *

Elena looked down both hallways quickly and assured that Damon was still in his room, having just left it, and knowing Jeremy was at their house with John, and Stephanie was upstairs asleep, she went down to the basement.

She tiptoed in and walked towards Elijah's cell and opened the door. She crept inside and lifted the dagger and sat back, ready to wait. She folded her body against the wall of the cell, wrapping her arms loosely around her knees. The dagger was held slackly in her hands as she waited silently for Elijah to wake up. She dozed off a few times, but she forced herself to keep awake.

When he gasped out a cry and his body twisted on the ground, Elena jumped with surprise, but quickly scrambled over to the Original.

"Elijah, it's okay," Elena murmured as it became apparent that Elijah was panicking and confused.

"Katarina," He gasped with burnt lips and his charcoaled skin slowly turned back to its usual bronze hue. He trembled as his eyes widened and he mouthed silently until he quietly gasped, "Oh, my God." His eyes slid closed and his head rolled backwards until it hit the dirty floor.

Elena hesitantly leant closer but jumped back when Elijah's bones started to snap back into place. He staggered to his feet, only to fall back down onto his hands and knees unsteadily, gasping, "I can't breathe."

"Elijah," Elena choked out, horrified.

"Katarina," Elijah repeated and he tried to flash through the door of the cell, only to hit the metal pipe to the right of it, making Elena wince at the loud clang that followed. He staggered until Elena hurried over to him to help him stand.

"I-I-can't-I can't be in this house," Elijah stuttered out, his voice high pitched in panic and pain.

"You've not been invited in," Elena realized aloud.

"Take me out of here," Elijah said in halting breaths and he tried to leave again, smacking the wall in the process. Elena started forwards, but the Original finally got the momentum and he flashed out of the house. Panicked, the doppelgänger sprinted after Elijah and found him slouched just outside over the threshold.

They stared at each other uneasily for a moment, but then Elijah rose and tried to flash back into the house, where he met the invisible force that kept unwanted vampires out.

"What happened?" Elijah asked evenly, staring at the human girl.

Elena felt a flash of panic and her eyes went to the sunlight outside; she'd been waiting all night for Elijah to wake up, and by then, Damon and Stephanie were likely awake. She put her finger to her lips to signal for silence. She pointed upwards and then to her ear and repeated the motion.

She whispered while barely moving her lips, "They'll hear. Not here, somewhere else. I can trust."

"Can I trust you?" Elijah asked her just as quietly.

Elena paused a moment and then handed over the dagger, letting Elijah take it. She saw his look of genuine surprise and when he nodded, she stepped outside.

* * *

Damon woke up to an empty bed, which was surprising unto itself, because Damon never woke up to an empty bed. Disgruntled, he rose and dressed, peering into his bathroom and the one down the hall for good measure, but didn't find Elena. He'd slept well the previous night, but he should have known that it wouldn't last, not with how their lives had been going recently.

Damon stumbled upon a sleepy Stephanie downstairs who was walking down the hallway, and he put his hand out to halt her progression.

"Have you seen Elena?" He asked.

"No," Stephanie said, blinking bright green eyes up at him, "Did you try and call her?"

Damon tried her cell phone and Stephanie wandered down the hall, but Elena didn't answer. He narrowed his eyes as Stephanie's back went straight and stiff. She disappeared down a hallway and Damon quickly followed her, noting that it led down to the cellar.

The siblings hastily reached the cell that housed Elijah, only to find it empty. Stephanie leant against the door jamb, the energy drained from her.

"No, she didn't," Damon groaned as he thought of Elena.

"She did," Stephanie said grimly.

* * *

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Maddox said as his footsteps headed towards the front door. Katherine listened to the witch cautiously, but was careful not to take her eyes off of the coffee pot; it the first time she'd been able to get up from her torture chair and move around since she'd been kidnapped by the witch.

Klaus' sister, Rebekah, was always looming somewhere, eager to inflict vengeance onto Katherine for retribution for the hurt she and Klaus had suffered while on the run looking for her. Klaus was just as vindictive, but far more subtle about his attempts.

She poured Klaus a cup of coffee and listened.

"Yes, do hurry," Klaus said, and Katherine couldn't over the fact that he had no accent while using the teacher as a vessel, "I'm anxious to get out of this body."

I bet you are, Katherine thought viciously, and I wish that you'd have to stay that way forever.

"If you get hung up, call me; you know how impatient I get," Klaus continued and Katherine heard the door close behind Maddox. Rebekah slid by Katherine and took the mug of coffee with a disdainful look and sipped it. Klaus made a twirling motion and Katherine turned back to make him more coffee.

"Where is he going?" Katherine asked quietly.

"To get a few things that he needs for the spell to return me to my body," Klaus said, "I can't wait to get out of this bad hairdo."

"It's awful," Rebekah agreed as she hopped up onto the counter to sit, her straight blonde hair swinging.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to put you back?" Katherine asked with narrowed eyes as she poured him a cup and then handed it to the Original.

"The full moon is almost upon us, I've killed the witch," Klaus started to list and Katherine's eyes shot the moonstone as he laid it bare on the counter top, "I have the moonstone and the doppelgänger is waiting in the wings," Klaus sighed with relief, "Oh, I am ready to break this curse."

"Why would you try and do that here?" Katherine fished with narrowed eyes, "People would try and stop you."

"Because I have to," Klaus said as irritation crawled into his voice, "It's the birthplace of the doppelgänger."

"I didn't know that was a requirement," Katherine said airily.

"Nik," Rebekah snapped while she glared, "Don't tell her everything."

"It's not like she's going to get up and walk out the door, Rebekah," Klaus drawled, "Is she? Katarina, _come here._ " Katherine felt herself compelled to walk to Klaus' side and so she did, standing still in front of him.

" _You're not to leave until I tell you to,"_ He compelled with a smile, "Now, I have to go. Have fun, Rebekah, Katarina; but not too much." He winked and pulled a jacket on, disappearing from the apartment.

"Where were we yesterday?" Rebekah asked idly and Katherine felt her throat seize. "How about you clean up and do something with your hair?" The Original wrinkled her nose, "You smell like filth and even if I do torture you, at least you'll smell better."

Katherine warily walked around the kitchenette and to the bathroom, eyeing the other vampire. She slipped inside as she was turning on the water, the bathroom door opened. She spun around, but only saw clothes sitting on top of the sink.

* * *

"Where are you?" Damon demanded and Stephanie's gaze shot to her brother, "Where can I pick you up because I'm on my way."

Stephanie stilled as she heard Elena's tinny voice come out of Damon's end of the phone and though she sounded relatively unharmed, Steph couldn't force the tension out of her shoulders.

"I'm fine. You're not coming to get me," Elena said and Stephanie could hear the firm resolve in her tone, "Damon, Elijah and I need some time alone."

"He can't be trusted!" Damon exploded, "He's going to use you to get to Klaus." He threw his other hand up into the air.

"Elijah is a noble man, Damon. He goes by a code of honor; I can trust him. He knows I would be incredibly stupid to try and kill him again. By removing the dagger, I have proved myself."

"You can't do this," Damon growled.

"This is my decision, and you need to respect it," Elena said, "And please don't do anything stupid. I'll be in touch." She hung up the phone, leaving Damon gaping.

"Did she just hang up on me?" Damon asked Stephanie incredulously.

"It appears that way," Steph said quietly.

"She's lost it," Damon said bluntly.

"I hate to admit it, but if anyone can get him to help us, it's her," Stephanie said with an earnest expression on her face.

"Bonnie's our way to kill Klaus, Stephanie," Damon said, "Klaus thinks she dead so we have chance with her."

"She'll kill herself in the process," Steph pointed out, "Elena's looking for another way to do this."

"Her way is going to get her killed," Damon snapped, "I need to stop her."

The rose together and Stephanie put her hands placating onto Damon's chest, "No, you need to back off."

"The hell?" Damon growled.

"Look, I don't like this anymore than you do, Damon, but we should trust her. Elena knows what she's doing; she's a big girl," Stephanie said definitely.

Damon looked at her incredulously, "You're crazy," He pointed, "and you've got off the deep end, just like Elena. Is this some kind of feminism thing? No, wait, don't answer; I don't care and I'm going to go through with my own plan."

"Seriously Damon," Steph said, annoyed, "Just trust Elena with this."

He glared, turned and stalked off; brushing angrily passed his little sister with a stormy expression on his face. Stephanie's phone rang immediately after he was gone, and so she picked it up, hoping it was Elena.

"Stephanie, hey," It was Jenna.

"Hi," Stephanie said and tried not to sound too surprised to hear from Jeremy and Elena's aunt.

"Where's Elena? Jeremy says she didn't come home last night," Jenna replied.

"She's not here right now," Stephanie hedged.

"Well, she left me all these weird messages to stay away from Rick," Jenna said, "Do you know what's going on?"

"This is really hard to explain over the phone," Stephanie said quietly, "But, um, she was hoping you'd stay on campus for a little while longer."

"That's going to be really hard, seeing as I'm in my kitchen," Jenna said dryly.

"Wait. You're home?" Stephanie asked and her heart skipped a beat. Damon reappeared with a glass of bourbon.

"Yeah. What's going on? Where's Elena? I'm supposed to meet Rick at the Grill for lunch to talk," Her voice said how much she thought of that; she was plainly irritated.

"Jenna, listen to me carefully," Stephanie told her boyfriend's aunt, "Whatever you do, don't meet Alaric at the Grill. I'm going to come over to explain everything, I promise." She hung up her phone.

"Oh, I'd love to lend you a hand, but seeing as you and Elena are running the show . . ." Damon trailed off snappishly.

"Is it seriously going to be like this?" Stephanie asked, exasperated and one of her hands gravitated to rest on her hip.

"I'm just backing off," Damon said.

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Why are you being a dick? You want to mess up whatever plan Elena has? Fine. She'll be pissed and you'll be in the doghouse. What do I care?" She shot back waspishly. They glared at each other, tensions raised; the Klaus fiasco last night and Elena's joyride with Elijah had both of the siblings on edge, making them more irritable than usual and less understanding.

"I'm going over to Jeremy's," Stephanie told Damon, "Be careful with whatever you decide to do." She turned and left, running to the Gilbert house.

* * *

Rebekah heard some knocking the door and she turned towards the sound, narrowing her eyes. Katarina had just come out of the bathroom with her borrowed clothes and curled hair, making her look as good as new, almost as if a reset button had been pressed.

"Who is that at the door?" Rebekah asked quietly, "Do you recognize their voice?"

Katherine murmured something too low to hear, making the Original glare at her, but she didn't press. Instead, she stalked to the door and threw it open to reveal a medium height vampire with dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He was pale and had an angular face and Rebekah could admit to herself that she felt stirrings of attraction.

He raised his eyebrows at the appraisal. "Hello, there."

"And who would you be?" Rebekah pursed her lips and tried to place the vampire in front of her. He was familiar . . .

"Damon Salvatore," He said with a sly smile but his eyes wandered passed her to Katarina, "Katherine," He said and his eyes widened, but he let a sly grin slide onto his lips, "So, you're still alive?"

"Yes, yes, we all know how good Katarina is at surviving when she's not supposed to," Rebekah said sardonically.

"I'm here to see if she deserves to be rescued," Damon drawled.

"Who's going to rescue you," Rebekah asked, "when I'm through with you?" She locked eyes with him, "You really ought to leave."

"Your accent is sexy," Damon said instead and leant on the door jamb.

"I'm giving you a warning," Rebekah said lightly, "You'd best heed it."

Damon rolled his eyes, but spotted Katherine miming a line through her throat; the universal sign for cut it out. He ignored her. "Really, I just want to know why she betrayed us. Then I'll leave."

Rebekah looked at Katherine and back to Damon. She turned to Katherine, " _Answer his question so he'll leave."_

In a monotone voice, Katherine said, "I didn't think you'd stand a chance against Klaus."

Damon's eyebrows shot up and he turned to Rebekah, "You're an Original? How?"

Before he could do anything, Rebekah shot out of the apartment and slammed Damon up against the opposite wall of the hallway, choking him. Damon's eyes bulged and he gasped.

" _Forget about that,"_ Rebekah tried to compel.

"On. Vervain," Damon choked out cockily.

Rebekah growled and then hissed into his ear as she caressed Damon's cheek, "Really? Should I just kill you, then? Save my brother the trouble of cleaning up the remains once he's broken the curse? Or should I let you leave?" Taking on a conversational tone, she added, "Or you could join me and Katarina in our fun. Do you like charmed hawthorn? Katarina's screams tell me it hurts like a bitch."

Damon's eyes sought out Katherine's and she looked at him sharply. Rebekah let him down after a moment of debating, but grabbed his arm before he could leave, holding his elbow and wrist. She snapped his radius and ulna, making him nearly roar in pain.

"Last warning. Don't come back around here," Rebekah said and released him, letting Damon speed away from the apartment building as fast as vampire speed would let him.

* * *

Stephanie rang the doorbell and quickly went inside the Gilbert house as Jeremy let her inside. He followed her into the kitchen where Jenna was sitting on a stool at their island counter.

"Thanks for not going to the Grill, Jenna," Stephanie said, relieved.

"Stephanie," Jenna started.

"Yeah, Steph," Jeremy opened his mouth.

Steph heard something gliding along the floor and she turned around to see Klaus with a smirk on his face. "Hello there, Stephanie. How's it going?"

"Fine," Stephanie said through stiff lips as Jeremy grabbed her hand to keep her from doing anything drastic. The four of them stood around the counter until Klaus pulled out a knife and continued chopping some vegetables that Stephanie had completely missed seeing until just then.

"You know, I find chopping . . . relaxing," Klaus said with a smile that looked odd on Rick's face.

"I'm still waiting for someone to tell me what the hell's going on," Jenna said, strain clear in her tone of voice.

"Well, should you do it or should I?" Klaus asked Stephanie with a wry twist of his lips, "Or maybe Jeremy can spill the beans." He hostile looks he was shooting Jeremy was disproportionate, Steph thought. Why would Klaus have any reason to hate one of them more than the other, exempting maybe Elena?

"Tell me what?" Jenna asked.

"Do you believe in vampires, Jenna?" Klaus asked and laughed when Jenna said nothing, "Well, who does, right?" He sighed, "But, believe it or not, they do have a place in our history and as a history teacher, I find them fascinating."

"Why are we talking about this?" Jenna asked him.

Jeremy and Stephanie looked forwards, nervous and strung out.

"You've been upset with me for keeping secrets," Klaus said and made Steph wonder how long he'd be in town to have known about that, "I'm obsessed with vampires." He gave a relieved sigh and Steph and Jeremy exchanged looks with each other. "There, I said it," Klaus continued.

"Are you joking?" Jenna asked, gaping.

"Not at all," Klaus said as he turned back to the stove, "What about you, Jeremy? Are you a fan of vampires?

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jenna asked.

"I don't know," Jeremy denied hastily.

"Jeremy," Jenna said warningly.

"How about you, Stephanie?" Klaus turned his eyes onto Stephanie and for a moment she thought she saw a tenderness that belied his acidic tone.

"Bram Stoker," Stephanie said quietly, "It's dense but I like it."

"Huh," Klaus said and the look in his eyes disappeared, "Did you know that vampires are the oldest creatures of the night that there are?" Stephanie gravitated towards the Original, intending to keep her love and his aunt away from the monster masquerading as a good friend.

Stephanie nodded slowly.

"Well," Klaus said, "Except for werewolves, of course."

"Werewolves?" Jenna asked, "Werewolves," She repeated as she turned around, "Now I know that you're joking."

"Did you know that there was an Aztec curse on both species? That it keeps the werewolves slaves to the moon and vampires bound by the sun. Isn't that right, Stephanie? You know, they say that these creatures would do anything to break the curse. And that they wouldn't care who they had to kill to do it."

Stephanie and Jeremy stiffened and the former couldn't help but look back at his Jenna, who looked shocked. The four of them warily settled down at the table awkwardly and Klaus kept talking.

"Oh, I know all this sounds so crazy, but vampires are real. Would you care for some wine?"

"Get out," Jenna said quietly.

"What?" Klaus turned to look at her.

"I don't know what it is that you're trying to do, or why you're saying these things, but . . ." Jenna was interrupted by Klaus.

"Jenna," He started.

"I said, get out," She retorted.

Klaus looked down and Stephanie could sense the danger that could erupt at any moment. She rose and walked over to him. "You heard her," She said evenly.

"What if I don't want to?" He asked with a leer.

"Fine, I'll go," Jenna snapped and rose, but Klaus picked up a knife and aimed it at her.

"No, I don't think you will," Klaus growled and Jeremy leapt up to stand in front of his aunt, and Stephanie flashed in front of Klaus and shoved him backwards, taking the knife and aiming it at his throat.

"Stephanie," Jenna gassed.

"Get out of here, now," Stephanie hissed menacingly.

"You can't kill me, love," Klaus drawled and his gaze bore into Stephanie's uncomfortably.

"Stephanie!" Jenna said louder, but Jeremy shook his head.

"I don't have a witch protecting me today," Klaus ground out, "But if you kill this body what's to keep me from choosing Jenna as my next one? Or your precious little Jeremy?"

"Jenna, Jeremy," Stephanie said without taking her eyes off of Klaus, "Go."

"But, you-you're," Jenna stammered and Stephanie's patience was worn thin.

"I said go!" She shouted and turned her head. From Jenna's startled look, her eyes were black and the spidery veins had crawled down her face. She felt her fangs bulging and Jeremy quickly hurried his aunt out of the kitchen.

"You look as lovely as usual when you're fierce," Klaus said, appraising her.

Stephanie glared viciously, "Shut your mouth."

"Go on, then, kill me," Klaus said with an easy smile, "Remind Elena that it will be easy for me to get my revenge on her family if any of you tries to stop me from breaking this curse."

Stephanie brought back her fist and punched Klaus in the face and he went down to the ground, where she proceeded to kick him in the abdomen.

Stephanie called Elena.

* * *

Stephanie hovered in the hall as Jenna and Elena talked quietly in the living room. She worried and paced until Elena came out and shut the door behind her.

"Is she okay?" Stephanie asked her immediately.

"She's in shock," Elena replied quietly, "Jeremy's in there with her and plans to keep her company and explain the things I couldn't."

"I'm so sorry," Steph murmured.

"It's not your fault or Damon's or anyone's but my own," Elena said, "Anyway, I have to go back to Elijah."

"What? No," Stephanie said, eyebrows furrowed, "We've been worried sick; Damon ran off to find you and hasn't called since."

"I promised him, Steph," Elena said quietly, "I can't break my promise."

Stephanie sighed and nodded her head, "But, just . . . be careful. And tell Damon that you're okay."

"I will," Elena smiled, "I swear." She turned around and walked away, leaving Stephanie feeling like she'd probably regret this choice.

Elena stopped though, because as if he'd heard his name being spoken, Damon reappeared. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Back to Elijah," She said firmly.

"No. If you so much as take a step out of this out," He warned quietly.

"You'll what?" Elena asked, folding her arms, "Damon, I promised. I've found out a lot of information that we didn't know before and it's important."

"Let her go," Stephanie said to Damon, her eyes imploring, "She's okay."

"We just got her back," Damon said tetchily, "She's not going again."

"Damon," Stephanie said.

"Steph," Damon returned, "Look, I just found out Klaus has some wacko sister and they're keeping Katherine locked up in some apartment. I really don't think you should leave the house with them on the loose."

"They have a sister?" Elena asked curiously.

"What do you mean, 'they?'" Damon zeroed in.

"Elijah and Klaus are brothers," Elena admitted reluctantly, "And the curse of the sun and moon was made up by them to help bring vampires and werewolves out of the woodwork to find the doppelgänger so that they could break the real curse."

"What?" Stephanie asked incredulously.

"And you still trust this guy?" Damon asked with his hands thrown up into the air.

"What is the curse, then?" Stephanie asked.

"I may not find out if you don't let me go," Elena said evenly, "and I have a feeling that it's really important."

* * *

Katherine was sitting on the couch with a bottle of bourbon as Rebekah sat opposite her, and she was marveling how the blonde could go from sadistic torturer to angst ridden teen wanting to be a normal girl in 0 to 60.

They were listening to music that pounded through the foundations when the door opened and Klaus popped in with an aggravated look on his face.

"Mind turning that down?" Klaus asked and Rebekah sighed, but picked up the remote that controlled the stereo and turned down the volume.

"What's got you in a foul mood?" She asked.

"This body has used up its usefulness," Klaus said malignantly as he swept a hand over his self.

"Want a drink?" Katherine asked him teasingly, hoping that he get drunk enough to pass clean out without wanting any of his own revenge.

"No, I really don't," Klaus said.

"Come on, Nik," Rebekah said, surprising Katherine, "Just one glass."

"I don't want a drink!" He roared and picked up the glass bottle and threw it so it hit the brick wall, smashing into a million little pieces. "What I want is some peace and quiet."

Rebekah rolled her eyes at the display that had startled Katherine and stretched her legs languidly. "Whatever you say, Niklaus."

Maddox came back then, carrying a backpack. "What took you so long?" Klaus demanded.

"Don't mind him," Rebekah called, "He's a grouch today."

"I picked someone up," Maddox said and a dark skinned witch followed him inside with a smile.

"Greta," Klaus greeted with a smile.

"Greta," Rebekah griped, "Great to see you."

The witch ignored her and assessed Klaus. "Nice body. You ready to get out of it?"

"I've been ready," Klaus murmured.

"Then let's get started."

* * *

"What's Klaus' curse?" Elena asked as soon as she and Elijah were alone again and the Original explained that Klaus did not share the same father as Elijah and the rest of their siblings; their mother had been unfaithful a very long time ago. When Elijah's father had found out, he hunted down Klaus' and killed him, along with the rest of his family.

"It ignited a war between species," Elijah explained.

"Between what species?" Elena asked, confused.

"Vampires . . . and werewolves."

"Klaus's real father was from a werewolf bloodline?" Elena asked with a tilted head, "What does that make Klaus? A werewolf or a vampire?"

There was a moment of utter quiet.

"He's both," Elijah revealed and Elena was stunned into silence as the Original explained hybrids and the witches that cursed Klaus' werewolf side into dormancy, and that if allowed, Klaus would sire his own race of super beings.

"That's why he wants to break the curse," Elijah exposed, "It would endanger not only vampires, but everyone else as well."

"But you helped him," Elena said, confused.

"I helped him because I loved him," Elijah said, "That's changed now; he has to die."

"Is that why your sister helps him?" Elena took a risk and watched as Elijah's eyes flashed.

"How did you find out about Rebekah?"

"Damon had a run in," Elena explained.

"That makes this infinitely more complicated," Elijah sighed.

"Can't we use the dagger on Klaus? We can kill him, if not her," Elena suggested.

"Silver doesn't wound werewolves; it heals. An Original cannot be killed without the white oak ash from the tree on the silver dagger. You see the conundrum, it cannot work."

Elena laughed incredulously, "Are you saying that he can't be killed?"

"There's one way to kill any supernatural species," Elijah said, "At the hands of the servants of nature themselves."

"A witch," Elena realized, "If they can channel that much power." She sighed, "But it would kill them."

"The curse must be broken during a full moon, when Klaus is in transition. That's when he'll be at his most vulnerable," Elijah insisted, "A witch with enough power can kill Klaus."

"What if I told you that I knew a witch with that much power?" Elena asked hesitantly.

Elijah responded quickly, "Then I would tell you there's one more thing you need to know. I found a way to save the life of a doppelgänger."

"What?" Elena asked, stunned.

"I did. Unfortunately, Katarina took matters into her own hands, first. You know how that panned out, though," Elijah said as he gathered Elena's jacket and handed it to her.

She scrutinized him. "You cared about her, didn't you?"

"It's a common mistake, I'm told," Elijah told her quietly, "And it's one I'll be sure not to make again." He walked around her.

* * *

Stephanie walked into the living room and sat across from Damon, who was drinking from one of his tumblers.

"I'm sorry that you're angry at me," Stephanie said.

"But you're not sorry for abetting Elena in her little plan to talk to Elijah," Damon said tightly as he looked at her over the rim of his glass.

"No," Stephanie agreed, "Because she needed to do this. I'm worried about her too, but you have to trust her. It's a part of being in a relationship," She pointed out.

Damon waved her off with a frown, "Don't preach at me tonight. Your apology is accepted; now leave me to my drowning of my issues."

"You're melodramatic," Stephanie said with a smile.

Damon returned it. "Well, yes," and then asked, "Where's Lassie?"

"He took Jenna home," Stephanie replied quietly.

"I'm glad you two are getting along again," A voice said from the door that led into the living room. Stephanie and Damon looked up and saw Elijah and Elena, and Damon sped to her side and they were quickly glued to each other's faces.

"Elijah and I have renewed the terms of our deal," Elena said as soon as they broke apart and Damon scowled.

"The two of you will come to no harm at my hands," Elijah stated quietly "I only ask for one think in return. An apology."

"A what?" Damon gaped.

Stephanie tilted her head in surprise.

"I'm sorry for the part I played in your death," Stephanie said as she walked over to the Original and Damon gaped at her as well. "I was protecting my friends and family. I will always protect them."

"I understand," Elijah nodded.

Damon shook his head.

"Sacrifices have to be made," Elena said softly to Damon, caressing his cheek, "Bonnie will be able to defeat Klaus without hurting herself and Elijah knows how to save my life. I said that I'd find another way and I did."

"Is that true?" Damon asked Elijah cynically.

"It is," Elijah agreed.

"And you trust him?" Damon asked with a curled lip.

"I trust you with my life," Elena said instead, "And I know you trust me. So trust me to know that Elijah will keep his word. Please, Damon, for me. I need you to be okay with this."

Damon surveyed her hopeful face and grouched, "I'm not okay with this, but I'll go alone with it. For now. But I'm not apologizing and I reserve the right to get you the hell out of doge of this starts looking sketchy."

"I'll take it," Elena grinned.

* * *

Katherine watched as the witches performed the ritual surrounded by candles and Klaus' body lie on the couch, perfectly groomed and waiting. Alaric's body was straining on his toes as the witches transferred Klaus' conscience back into his own flesh. Rebekah stood close to Klaus' body protectively.

"Elena?" Alaric asked, confused, just before he passed out.

The body on the couch blinked awake and Klaus sat up and a slow smirk slid onto his face.

"Now, that's more like it," Klaus said and his eyes rose to meet Rebekah's.

"Welcome back."


	18. make me wanna die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Do you really want?
> 
> Do you really want me?
> 
> Do you really want me dead or alive?
> 
> To torture for my sins
> 
> Do you really want?
> 
> Do you really want me?
> 
> Do you really want me dead or alive?
> 
> To live a lie  
> Tell me would you kill to save a life
> 
> Tell me would you kill to prove you're right
> 
> Crash crash
> 
> Burn let it all burn
> 
> This hurricane's chasing us all underground."
> 
> 30 SECONDS TO MARS – HURRICANE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any quotes borrowed/modified.

"Tonight is the full moon. We should plan for Klaus' breaking the curse tonight, for he will not want to wait much longer," Elijah told them all gravely. He didn't smile, but his lips twisted, "My brother is not a patient man."

"He's not much of a man at all though, is he?" Damon drawled.

Damon and Elena sat next to each other on the couch, close but not touching. Elena held her hands in her lap nervously and she threw glances towards her boyfriend every few minutes as if to make sure he wasn't going to back out of their agreement. She wore a long sleeve purple shirt and dark jeans and a pair of converse shoots, while Damon had on a button down black shirt and dark pants with his boots.

Stephanie sat in the armchair to Elena's left in a dark green blouse and dark pants with her sleek boots. Her hands were clasped together on her knees and she looked at Elijah standing in front of her with the utmost intensity. Jeremy stood behind her chair with his arms crossed and he wore weathered jeans, converse, and a tee shirt with an old rock band that stood out on the front.

"Elena told us the sun and moon curse is fake?" Stephanie inquired imploringly, her green eyes focused on Elijah's face. The Original stood in the center of the living room in his customary suit of choice, which put him in the epicenter of attention of the four other occupants. "That it was actually just a curse placed on Klaus?"

"Klaus," Elijah clarified, "is a vampire born of a werewolf bloodline. The curse has kept his werewolf attributes from manifesting, but if he breaks it, he'll be a true hybrid."

"Then why are we letting him break the curse again?" Damon wanted elucidation.

"It's not an option," Elena said with the voice of someone whose repeated the same words over and over again until they'd worn out their meaningfulness, "to ask Bonnie to use that much power. It will kill her. You were on board with the new plan last night."

Jeremy sighed and put a hand on Steph's shoulder, and she tilted her head back to roll her eyes at him. They'd been hearing Elena and Damon's semi-arguments all morning.

"I am," Damon said, "But surely there's another way to do this without you dying or whatever Mr. Original's plan for you is."

"Damon," Elena snapped, "Come on. You agreed."

"Alright," Stephanie interrupted, "How do break the curse on Klaus? What _exactly_ will he be doing?"

"It's relatively straight forward," Elijah assured her with a nodded head, "The ingredients, so to speak, you already know; a vampire, werewolf, moonstone, and a doppelgänger. A witch will channel their power through the moonstone on a full moon to release the spell that is bound within the stone itself. After that, with Klaus being both a vampire and a werewolf, will sacrifice one of each. Klaus must then drink the blood of a doppelgänger," He paused and retrieved an ornately decorated wooden box and lifted the cover, "to the point of her death."

Damon gripped Elena's hand and squeezed it, but Stephanie could tell it was more for his own comfort than Elena's, though she'd never tell anyone revelation.

"That's where you come in," Elena said quietly to Elijah and they all eyed the box.

"This is an elixir I required some five hundred years ago for Katarina – it possesses mystic properties of resuscitation." He lifted an elaborate glass vial from the box and showcased it to the four others.

"So she'll be dead?" Jeremy asked tightly.

"And then she won't," Elijah agreed.

"That's the plan; a magical witch potion with no expiration date? If she wants to come back to life, why not use John's magical ring?" Damon demanded, eyebrows pulling together.

"The rings only work for humans," Elijah replied smoothly, "The doppelgänger is a supernatural occurrence; odds are, it won't work for her."

"I'd rather take those odds over your magic water, thanks," Damon grouched and then turned to his girlfriend, whose hand he was still gripping tightly, "What if it doesn't work, Elena?"

"Then . . . I guess I'll just be dead," Elena said grimly.

"Isn't there some kind of backup plan we can have?" Jeremy asked uneasily, "Because I really don't like the sound of that."

"For once," Damon announced, "I agree with Lassie. Surely there's a backup plan." They looked at Elijah, but he said nothing, making Damon snort.

"Do we know if Klaus has everything he needs?" Elena asked Elijah and ignoring what Stephanie was sure she considered melodramatics. Jeremy's hand was tight on her shoulder, reminding her how uncomfortable he was with their plan, much like Damon was. She placed her hand over his and squeezed reassuringly. "Does he have a werewolf?"

"Klaus has been waiting to break this curse for over a thousand years," Elijah said as close to deadpan as he could get, "If he doesn't already have a werewolf, my guess is that by tonight, he will."

"What are we going to do about the psycho sister Damon met yesterday?" Stephanie asked in the following silence, "She's an Original just like you two are and she's with Klaus, so she'll put up resistance when we try and kill him tonight."

Elijah nodded. "Rebekah has traveled with our brother since the beginning, even after I left them. I've met with them a few times in the past," Elijah said Stephanie his eyes linger on her for a moment before going back to the rest of the room at large, "and they've largely remained in each other's company. Rebekah is extremely loyal and a difficult opponent to face; we'll have to dagger her at least until Klaus is dead, and even then, I'll take her with me before I take the dagger back out so she will not retaliate unto you."

"We'll need a human besides Elena to do that," Damon said, but was unfortunately or perhaps fortunately, by Jenna's shouts and what sounded like Alaric. They all hurried to the source of the noise, which was coming from the front hall where Jenna was aiming a crossbow at what looked to be Alaric.

"Jenna, put the crossbow down, I'm me again," He begged, "Elena, it's me," He repeated again when they appeared by Jenna's side warily, "Klaus let me go."

"Prove it," Damon said simply.

"Okay, uh, first night we were together," Alaric spoke with Jenna, "Jeremy walked in on us doing-"

"Okay, it's him!" Jenna said quickly and lowered the crossbow. Amused, Stephanie looked at her boyfriend's suddenly flushing face.

"What did you walk in on them doing, Jere?" She teased and Jeremy glowered.

"Why did he let you go?" Damon asked Alaric.

"He wanted me to deliver a message," Alaric replied quickly, "The sacrifice happens tonight." Everyone exchanged wary looks and Elena glanced back at Elijah, who stood impassively in the back of their group.

They migrated into the living room.

"So, you don't remember a thing from you were possessed?" Stephanie asked as she paced in front of Alaric, who was seated on a lone couch.

Everyone else was scattered about the room, and were undoubtedly paying fierce attention to the conversation playing out before them.

"No," Alaric said, "It was like I'd blacked out and woke up three days later. Katherine was there, along with some other blonde vampire that they called Rebecca."

"Katherine's under compulsion and Rebekah is Klaus and Elijah's sister," Stephanie explained.

"What else did I do?" Alaric asked and the others all exchanged looks. Damon surveyed everyone and ghosted from the room, an idea sprouting in his mind. The rest of them might think that Elijah's magic water would save Elena's life, but Damon wasn't convinced.

And he knew someone else who wouldn't be either.

* * *

Caroline thought she was dressed particularly stylish that day, if anyone were to ask her. She made her way to the Grill, cheery and smiling. She found Matt bussing tables and so walked up behind him.

"Hey," Caroline greeted with a grin.

"Jeez," He hollered, spinning around, "Don't sneak up on me, Caroline." His blue eyes were wide and a little fearful, surprising Caroline.

"I'm sorry," She said a little helplessly, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine, I just didn't know that you were here, is all," Matt said and returned her smile. Caroline thought it looked forced.

"I wanted to try and catch you on one of your breaks," Caroline said as she sidled closer to him.

"I have lunch in around an hour," Matt said, warming.

"Great," Caroline exclaimed, "I'll go run some errands, and then I'll be right back." She leant over and kissed Matt, their lips exploring until she pulled back, "I'll be back soon." She turned around and nearly skipped from the Mystic Grill. Matt waited until she was gone before hurrying back towards a booth where Sheriff Liz Forbes sat waiting.

"Does she suspect you?" She demanded.

"No," Matt said, "But I'm not sure I can do this much longer. I've been putting on the best show of my life, but I . . . she's like the same Caroline."

The Sheriff shook her head almost pityingly, "She's not, Matt, she's not the same Caroline. She's a vampire."

"At this point," Matt said urgently, "I don't even know what that means."

"Listen, Matt," Liz said, "this is hard to understand, but my family . . . we were raised with this. They're monsters, Matt. They have no soul, no humanity left inside of them."

"There isn't a single thing that makes me believe that," Matt shook his head.

"It's an act!" Liz assured him, "I believed Damon Salvatore was my closest ally in this town. Instead, he's a killer. They killed your sister. What other proof do you need?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Sheriff," Matt accused, stung at the veiled insult, "Why haven't you done anything if that's how you think they are?"

"Because I need for information," She was quick to reply, "And . . . despite of everything I just said, I still look at her and I see my daughter."

"Damon," Matt said assuredly, "Is the problem, not Caroline. We should focus on him or his sister. Elena's not safe with either of them."

Liz sighed, "I shouldn't have involved you, Matt. Thank you for all of your help, but I'll take it from here." Matt watched at a loss as the Sheriff stood from the booth and left without a backwards glance.

Caroline headed was headed to the hospital when she very nearly ran into Tyler head on. She stopped, shocked.

"Tyler," She said and then saw the other werewolf next to him and her voice grew a little colder, "Jules."

"I'll give you a few minutes," Jules said to Tyler after a moment.

"Thanks," Tyler said quietly.

"Just a few," Jules repeated sternly.

Defensively, he replied, "I got it." Jules brushed passed Caroline, leaving them to themselves.

"She's just making sure I'm safe," Tyler explained to Caroline earnestly.

"So, what?" Caroline asked with her arms folded across her chest, "Are you two friends now?"

"She's been helping me," Tyler didn't deny, "How have you been?" They shuffled on their feet at the stilted conversation.

"I-I heard about your mom," Caroline said in lieu of saying anything about herself, "I just came to check up on her. She's always been so good to me."

"She's pretty banged up," Tyler said, looking at the ground, "But she'll be okay/"

"And you? How's everything with you?" Caroline asked him, eyes searching the werewolf's face.

"I'm hanging in there," Tyler replied.

"Good," Caroline nodded.

"Yeah," He agreed, "I should get going. Um, would you pass on something to Stephanie?"

"Uh, sure," Caroline said with furrowed brows, "Whatever."

"Tell her I'm sorry," Tyler said to Caroline quietly, "She told me something really personal and I kind of blew her off. But I realize how much guts it took to tell me what she told me, now. She was trying to help me, you know."

Caroline nodded slowly. "Okay. But why don't you tell her yourself?"

"Jules and I have to get back on the road before tonight," Tyler explained.

"You're leaving again?" Caroline exclaimed.

"I left for a reason, Caroline."

Angry, Caroline stalked towards him, "Your explanation must have got lost in the mail, along with your good-bye. Your mom's been worried sick, you know."

"Well," Tyler started, "Take care of yourself," He said instead of whatever he was thinking.

"Tyler-" Caroline moved to stop him but froze from the intense pain that shot through her skull. She grunted and started to moan as she dropped to the ground, clutching her head.

"Caroline?" She heard Tyler ask, but them she saw him sink to his knees, groaning as well. He passed clean up and something was jabbed into Caroline's shoulder, making everything go dark.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," John said slowly as he and Damon sat at the bar together, "You don't think this elixir Elijah's gotten Elena will do its job, so you've come to me for help."

"Sounds about right," Damon said as he downed a shot of bourbon, "So, what do you think, Johnny Boy? One team up for the win?"

"Of course," John said immediately, "This is Elena and I don't trust Elijah with a dollar, let only my own daughter."

"What's this get together? Care for one more?"

Damon and John stiffened, and both men turned their heads to see a tall dark blonde headed man in a red shirt with a black jacket over it. His face was a little angular and might have been considered attractive by the women. His accent was distinguished and was tinged with a little venom.

"And you would be?" John asked suspiciously with his eyes narrowed.

"Call me Klaus," The man grinned, "You must be Damon and . . . John, is it?"

Damon stood from the bar with a grimace on his face, "Is there any reason that you stopped by?"

"I'm told you fancy my doppelgänger," Klaus said easily, "I just came to remind you not to do anything you might regret."

Damon laughed. "Thanks for the advice. Hey, is there any happenstance that you could . . . postpone tonight's events? I mean, what's one full moon in the grand scheme of things? I've been told you've been waiting for a very long time for this."

Klaus barked a short laugh, "You're kidding?" When Damon said nothing, he turned to John, "He's kidding, right?"

"Damon's a very serious man," John said flatly, "So am I."

"Let's be clear here for a moment, Damon," Klaus said as he turned back to the other vampire, "I have my vampire, I have my werewolf, and everything else that I need. The ritual will happen tonight." He voice lowered into a whisper, "So, if you want to live to see tomorrow, don't screw it up." He brushed passed them.

"Ready to screw things up for him, John?" Damon drawled as he watched Klaus' back disappear out of the Grill.

"Of course," John said.

"Great," Damon smirked, "I'm going to recruit Rick and we're going to do some werewolf hunting. You can see if Bonnie or Grandma have any neat spells to save our girl's life."

John and Damon stood and faced each other and shook hands.

"Let's get this done."

They departed from each other's company, John to find a spell, and Damon back to the Boarding House. Elijah was with Elena, figuring out the finer ends of their plan, while Stephanie and Jeremy were cuddled on the couch. Jenna and Rick were quietly talking in the corner of the room.

"Rick, buddy, come here," Damon beckoned, making the room's activities pause and then resume as Alaric went to Damon's side.

"I've already been filled in that I'm daggering the sister," He said quietly when he met Damon.

"No, this is something else. Take a walk with me?"

Suspicious but willing to find out what was going on, Alaric followed Damon and listened as they drove over the apartment Katherine was at to what he and John had cooked up.

"That's . . . Elena's going to be mad," Alaric said.

"Yes, well, backup plans are always nice, Rick," Damon pointed out as they walked up to the apartment.

"Why am I here?"

"I needed a partner in crime," Damon smirked, "and you should know that I'm proud to call you my go-to man."

"Wonderful," Alaric rolled his eyes and Damon knocked on the door. Seconds later, Katherine answered instead of the Rebekah Damon had been expecting.

Katherine's eyes widened. "What are you doing here? Are you trying to get me killed?"

"Where's Barbie Klaus?" Damon's eyes searched what he could see of the apartment.

"She went out because Klaus is actually in his body and he didn't need her to stick around, since I'm not going anywhere," Katherine spat as she crossed her arms angrily across her chest.

"How about I make a deal?" Damon wiggled his eyebrows.

"What could you possibly have that I would want?" Katherine glowered.

"Vervain," Damon retrieved the herb from his pocket and waved it in front of his face, "You can ingest it and so when Klaus can't compel you anymore. You could escape as soon as he says you can."

Katherine's eyebrows arched. "What's in it for you?"

"I need to know where Klaus' werewolf has been stored for safe keeping," Damon smirked.

"Why? What are you going to do?" Katherine asked suspiciously.

"I screwing up his plans," Damon grinned, "No werewolf, no sacrifice. Or, at least, not this full moon. And John and I are figuring out a way to save Elena without Elijah's help, so."

"You can't interfere," Katherine snapped, "Klaus will kill you and everyone you've ever met."

"You should like this; it'll buy another month of your pathetic life," Damon groaned.

Katherine walked across the room and sat herself down into a wooden chair with a quirked eyebrow. "Right. Except I'm not the vampire he's sacrificing," She sneered, "He's got plans to keep me around for a while yet, so Caroline Forbes and Tyler Lockwood are his new best friends."

"Where'd you get that idea from?" Damon demanded.

"I'm trying to stay alive, so I'm not going to tell you that."

"Come on," Damon wheedled, "You said it yourself; Klaus wants you around for a long time. Probably for torture and revenge, but what do I know? Only that you don't want to stay." He held up the vervain again. "This could be yours and then, your freedom shortly after that. Just tell me where they are."

Katherine visibly debated with herself, before finally saying, "They're in the tomb."

"Thanks," Damon smirked and tossed her the baggie of vervain. Katherine caught it and Damon and Rick left the apartment quickly. They jogged down to Damon's car.

"Thanks, Rick, but you should get on to the Boarding House to make sure no one does anything until I get back," Damon told his friend, "John should have something by then and I want to get Caroline and her puppy far away before tonight."

"Does the great Damon Salvatore actually care about others?" Alaric gaped.

"Shut up, Rick."

His friend disappeared and Damon used his vampire speed to run over to Fell's Church, eyeing the area above the tomb. He focused his hearing and listened.

"Which one are you trying to save?" A voice asked conversationally and Damon turned around. It was of Klaus' witches – the pale man. "The blonde or the wolf? Did you really think Klaus would leave them unprotected?"

"Wishful thinking," Damon admitted and he flashed to the witch's side, choking him until the witch forced him backwards and gave him a migraine with his voodoo magic. He heard a gunshot and the pain stopped instantly. He looked up and almost moaned aloud when he saw Matt with a shot gun.

The witch was dead on the ground.

"What are you doing here?" Damon asked accusingly.

"Where's Caroline?" Matt demanded and of course, he was there for Barbie.

"Listen, now's not a great time for you to be Wonder Boy, so why don't you run along back home," Damon suggested, "And leave this to the professionals."

"Where is she?" Matt repeated and aimed the gun towards Damon's chest, "And what did he do to her?" He indicated the fallen witch.

Damon raised his hands and walked towards Matt, "I'm just here to rescue Caroline." He started to lower the gun, and so Damon flashed to his side and knocked the boy out, making sure to empty the cartridges of bullets.

"You're lucky Elena likes you," Damon muttered as he went down into the tomb. He burst in on what appeared to be some kind of love fest/apology thing.

That wouldn't do.

"Your boyfriend's outside with a rifle full of wooden bullets," Damon announced.

"Damon?" Caroline asked shrilly.

"You have some explaining to do," Damon nearly growled as he ripped Caroline's chains out of the walls.

"Matt knows about you?" Tyler demanded.

"What? No," Caroline denied, "I didn't tell him."

"Whatever, that can be tomorrow's problem since today's full of them," Damon interrupted, "Let's just get you out of here and then we can go." He rose from his crouch and started to lead Caroline out of the tomb.

"I'm not leaving without him," Caroline said firmly.

Damon sighed and turned to glower at Tyler. "It's getting dark soon. How fast can you get the hell away from here?"

"I need to get to my family's cellar," Tyler said seriously, "I can get there and lock myself up for the night."

"I'll help," Caroline said.

"Don't make me regret this," Damon hissed as he stooped down and snapped off the werewolf's chains. "You understand me?"

Tyler nodded.

"Then let's get out of here," Damon said and the three of them trooped out of the tomb. Damon eyed the night sky warily and noticed the moon was on its way. "Hurry."

Caroline sprinted to Matt.

"Did you hit him?" She demanded of Damon.

"Did you already forget the part about the wooden bullets?" Damon asked scathingly. He heard something behind him and Damon turned his head to see Tyler had dropped to the ground, grunting in pain.

"Tyler?" Caroline worriedly asked from her place next to Matt on the ground.

"It's starting," Tyler huffed and heaved himself up off the ground, "We really need to go."

Damon groaned, "Ugh. Grab Boy Wonder, and let's go," He commanded Caroline and led the way through the forest under the moonlight.

* * *

Stephanie and Elena stood outside underneath the stars together, quietly lying in the front yard.

"It's beautiful," Elena murmured as she looked at the bright constellations, "But . . ."

"It would be better if Damon were here," Stephanie finished, "I don't know where he is. I tried called earlier, but he ignored me."

"Rick said he was coming up with a backup plan," Elena said, trying to be hopeful, "Maybe he just tied up in that."

"I think something's wrong," Stephanie said, but didn't push it for fear of worrying Elena any further. Jeremy had headed home with Jenna and Rick, while Elijah was still ghosting the halls of the Boarding House.

"Hello ladies," An accented voice called out to them and Stephanie and Elena immediately got to their feet. The man was in a (suiting) blood red button up shirt and a black suit jacket over it. His dark blonde hair was familiar, along with his sparkling blue eyes.

"It's you," Stephanie realized and hissed, "From the Masquerade. You were there."

"That's right, love," Klaus tilted his head to the side and smiled, "Miss me?"

"What are you talking about?" Elena asked.

"He approached me at the Masquerade Ball, long before we knew anything about him or Originals," Steph informed Elena, feeling oddly betrayed by this man. He'd been lurking around for a long, long time, toying with them.

"Why didn't you do something before now?" Elena asked him with a shaky voice.

"It wasn't time," Klaus said vaguely, "But now it is. So, if you'd come along . . ."

Stephanie planted herself firmly front of her friend, arms crossed and teeth bared. "You'll have to go through me first, Klaus."

"I like how you say my name, love," Klaus smirked, "Now, come one, I don't want to have to hurt you."

"You're sick," Stephanie growled.

"Maybe," Klaus agreed and flashed to Stephanie's side, "But you used to like that."

Stephanie looked at him oddly, but didn't dwell because Elena said, "Steph, it's fine, okay? We talked about this," and she stepped out from behind the shorter girl.

"No," Stephanie said quietly.

"I'm afraid that's all the time we have for goodbye's," Klaus announced and before Stephanie could wonder what the hell was going on, she felt a flash of pain in her neck and then everything went dark.

* * *

Damon tromped through the forest with the others, hindered by Matt's humanness and the fact that he probably had a concussion from the force behind the hit Damon had administered with the shotgun.

"Hurry it up back there, I'd like to get the dog into his cage before he tries to eat me," Damon hollered.

"What?" Matt asked and turned to a pale Tyler, "You okay, man?"

"He'd better not wolf out on us," Damon warned as his phone started to ring. "Hello? This is kind of a bad time, sister."

"What? What are you doing," Stephanie asked.

"Throwing a wrench into Klaus' plans by rescuing Tyler and Caroline; they were the sacrifices," Damon replied, "Tell Elena to stay put."

"That's why I'm calling," Stephanie said grimly, "Klaus was just here and he took her."

"What? Why didn't you stop him?" Damon asked.

"He snapped my neck, what was I supposed to do?" Stephanie snapped.

Damon groaned, "I'll take care of it. Oh, and if John drops by, hear him out. I recruited him for a backup plan in case the mystical water's expired."

"What?" Stephanie asked, but Damon hung up the phone. Tyler dropped to the ground in pain and his bones started to rearrange themselves.

"I don't know if I can hold it off," Tyler choked, "You'd better get out of here."

"We've got time," Caroline said soothingly, "Come on."

"You need to run," Tyler said and it was more of a growl that his voice.

"Tyler-" Caroline started but Tyler, half changed, launched himself at her, teeth bared into a snarl. Damon charged him, pushing Caroline out of the way and into the dirt, felt Tyler's teeth graze his arm. He shoved Tyler backwards several feet.

"Damon?" Caroline asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," Damon lied and Tyler screamed for them to run again.

"Go the rest of the way to the Lockwood property's underground cells; if they're strong enough to keep him in, they're strong enough to keep him out," Damon handed Matt a few of the surviving wooden bullets, "Use these if you have to. Go."

Damon sped away and to the apartment Klaus was using. He ghosted through the door, throwing it open. Klaus sat a desk and a laptop computer was open in front of him, and was playing what looked like a live video feed of a woman.

"I wasn't aware you were dumb enough to come back here," Klaus drawled to Damon as the latter walked inside.

"Do you want me to take care of him?" Rebekah asked lazily from the couch. She got up languidly, stretching her limbs. Katherine was seated at another corner of the apartment, frowning.

"No, Bekah, that's alright," Klaus said to his sister and turned back to Damon, rising.

"I'm coming here to tell you that you have to postpone the ritual," Damon announced.

"Didn't we have this conversation already?" Klaus asked.

"Maybe he's thick," Rebekah suggested.

"That was before I rescued your vampire and werewolf and killed your witch," Damon said flatly and Klaus flashed in front of him.

"Excuse me."

"You can kill me for it, if you like," Damon said, "I don't care. It was all me." He arched his eyebrows.

"Katarina, Rebekah, give us a moment, please," Klaus said smirking.

Rebekah rolled her eyes but she and Katherine left the room, the former throwing a glare at Klaus' back. Klaus paid her no mind as he took a step closer to Damon.

"I've heard about you, you know," He said conversationally, but Damon wasn't swayed from his anger, "The crazy, impulsive vampire that was cowed by a Petrova doppelgänger. I knew you would try to stop me. Your little sister tried to earlier, but I had to dispatch her for a bit." He tilted his head and grinned, "She's just a doll, isn't she? So small but so very fierce."

Damon's fists clenched.

Klaus walked back over to his desk and played the video that was on the screen, and soon the screens of Jules the werewolf became audible.

"The nice thing about werewolves is that they tend to ravel in packs," Klaus said, "When you spend a thousand years trying to break a curse . . . you learn a thing or two. First rule, always have a backup. Backup werewolf, backup witch . . ."

"Backup vampire," Damon finished, glaring.

"I've got that covered too," Klaus smirked and Damon's vision went dark.

* * *

He woke up to Katherine's slim fingers on his face, urging him to drink a blood bag. He blinked and the world was blurry for several seconds until he got his bearings back.

"Come on, Damon," She muttered, "Wake up."

"What the hell happened?" He mumbled.

"He's gone; he and Rebekah went to do the ritual," Katherine said, "I'm sorry; I had to. He would've known I was on vervain if I didn't do it."

"Do what?" Damon groaned as he slowly rose from the floor.

"Klaus," Katherine said quickly and quietly, "made me call her to lure her out. He needed another vampire."

"Who did you call?" Damon asked and when she said nothing, was more insistent, "Who did you, Katherine?"

"Jenna," Katherine said quietly, "I had to call Jenna."

"Why didn't he use me?" He muttered and repeated it.

"He said you were as good as dead," Katherine replied quietly.

"What does that even mean?" Damon demanded.

"What does that mean?" Katherine asked scathingly, and lifted Damon's arm and pointed to a point below the wrist. "What is this, Damon?"

"Werewolf bite," Damon ground out.

* * *

Elena stared at the body lying perfectly still in the center of the clearing and felt the earth tilt on its axis, rearranging to fit this new reality that the seventeen year old girl found herself in. Elena couldn't say her name, not without making it true, but it fell from her lips anyway and she cursed herself for it.

"Jenna?" Elena asked, her voice sounding high pitched and scared like when she was a little girl, "Oh my God, Jenna!" She rushed to her aunt's side and turned her over and saw her unnaturally still face. She felt for a pulse and felt the world fall out from underneath her feet.

Elena turned to face the witch, Greta Martin, and asked, confused and anguished, "Why? Why did he kill her? I did everything he asked." Her voice broke with the coming onslaught of tears. "Why?"

Sudden movement beneath her hands mad Elena's gaze fly back down to her aunt, and Jenna flew upwards, rocketing into a sitting position as she gasped in desperate air.

"She's not dead. She's in transition," Greta said with a brilliant smile and Elena felt her heart harden towards this witch, this monster who'd helped take away her beloved aunt's life. How could one who was supposed to balance nature be so unnatural? How could she take a human's life and be so happy?

* * *

"So that's what a werewolf bite looks like," Katherine said as they observed the inflicted area of Damon's skin. "It's not that bad."

"Yeah," Damon murmured, "Maybe the legends are false and it won't kill me."

"Klaus said you were a dead man walking," Katherine pointed out.

"I'm usually a dead man walking," Damon remarked.

"Ha," Katherine said flatly, "This is serious. You're going to die."

"You know anything about a cure?" Damon asked her with a twist of his lips as he angled his head to look up at her. Katherine reluctantly shook her head.

"Me neither," Damon sighed as he pulled onto his jacket.

"A hundred and forty five years and no last good bye?" Katherine looked at Damon as he prepared to leave.

"You really don't deserve one, do you?" Damon asked rhetorically, "You could have found me during any of those years on the run if you'd really wanted one."

"Hey, don't leave mad," Katherine said, "Klaus made me call Jenna to lure her. There was nothing I could have done."

"Well, you could have denied him, but that would have cost you your own life," Damon said derisively, "And you're all about self-preservation. Somehow you get to walk away from this while Elena's aunt dies and everyone else suffers. How'd that happen?"

"I didn't let love get in the way," Katherine said softly.

"Enjoy your eternity alone, then," Damon said and walked passed her and towards the door.

"What are you going do?" Katherine called.

"Offer myself up for a replacement? I'll think of something; I always do," Damon told her without looking back. He slammed the door behind him.

* * *

"Oh, my head," Jenna moaned, "What happened?" She turned her up eyes to Elena's pale face.

"Do you remember anything?" Elena asked her quietly.

"You called me . . . you were so scared . . ." Jenna trailed off when she saw her niece gently shake her head. She cursed herself. "I should've known it wasn't you. The second I walked out of the house, someone grabbed me. A vampire," She clarified.

"Klaus," Elena said quietly, "It was Klaus."

"He made me drink his blood," Jenna continued, "And I don't remember anything after that." She looked around them. "Where are we? What happened?"

"We're by the quarry," Elena said, grabbing Jenna's hands as the older woman started to panic, "Klaus brought us here."

"Why don't I remember anything?" Jenna asked distraught.

"Jenna, do you remember when I told you how someone becomes a vampire . . . ?" Elena asked gently, keeping her large brown eyes on Jenna's face.

"Yeah," Jenna nodded, wiping her face, "Yeah, when a human dies with vampire blood in their system, they . . . oh God. He killed me."

"Jenna, stop, listen to me," Elena said as Jenna started to panic again, "I'm going to get you out of here."

"I'm a vampire," Jenna gasped.

"And I bet you're hungry," Greta announced, still with a smile on her face that Elena wanted to claw off. Elena jumped up and ran at the witch, but Greta simply waved a hand and Elena flew off to the side and a ring of flames sprung up from the ground surround her. "And don't bother to try to break though; I spelled the circle so that you're trapped, no matter what you do."

"Greta, please, just let her go," Elena begged, but Greta used a sharp rock to open a wound on her wrist, letting the blood flow.

"Klaus _chose her_ ," Greta said simply and commanded Jenna, "Drink it."

"Let her go!" Elena yelled.

"I can't," Jenna said even as she felt herself lean in close to the witch's wrist.

"NO!" Elena screamed, but Greta helped Jenna latch onto her wrist and complete the transition. When it was finished, Greta shoved Jenna off and let a ring of enchanted fire spring around her as well.

"Jenna, hey, look at me. It's going to be okay, it's going to be okay," Elena assured her even as Jenna's eyes turned black and red veins crawled down her face.

* * *

"The sacrifice must be done in stages," Elijah said to the people trooping along with him, which consisted of Stephanie, Jere, and Alaric. Steph had heard no word from John yet. "The werewolf is killed, and then the vampire, and finally the doppelgänger is drained. Once Elena dies, the curse will be broken. Klaus will become a hybrid."

"So when do we attack?" Alaric asked as they came to stop in front of the old witch burial grounds. The empty mansion loomed.

"Once Elena has 'died,' Klaus' werewolf side will emerge. During the transformation, he'll be vulnerable and that's where Bonnie comes in."

"And you're sure Bonnie will survive this?" Stephanie clarified, eyes narrowed on the Original.

"If she can bring him to the brink of death, I will finish him off myself," Elijah swore and Stephanie's phone rang.

She quickly answered it, "Hello?"

"You're not going to like what I have to say," Damon's voice said.

"Doesn't matter. Is the sacrifice happening or not?" Stephanie asked.

"It's happening. I tried to stop it, but it . . . didn't go well," Damon replied.

"We're sticking to the original plan then," Stephanie said swiftly, "We're meeting with Bonnie right now. Any word from John? You weren't really clear what your business with him was."

"We don't trust Elijah but that's not the point right now and no, I haven't. Klaus has Jenna," Damon said grimly.

"What?"

"He got Katherine to lure her out of the house," Damon explained, "He's going to use her in the ritual."

"What's going on, Steph?" Jeremy asked with a frown.

"Oh my God," Stephanie whispered.

"Stephanie, what's going on?" Jeremy asked urgently.

"Hold on," Damon said, "I'm getting another call. Don't do anything yet." He hung up swiftly, leaving Steph reeling from the news. Her arm slowly fell from her ear down and she nearly dropped it.

"Stephanie?" Alaric asked, "What is it?"

Steph looked at Jeremy and then at Alaric. She knew Elijah had heard the conversation. "Klaus was going to use Caroline and Tyler as the sacrifices, but Damon got them out." She took a breath, "So in retaliation, Klaus took Jenna and turned her. He's going to use her as the sacrifice instead."

"What?" Jeremy asked as his face hardened, "No. No, he can't."

"I'm sorry," Stephanie whispered and Alaric roared in anger, spinning in the opposite direction. Bonnie appeared then from the mouth of the deserted mansion then, her Grams holding unsteadily onto her shoulder

"Grams insisted on coming, despite her ill health," Bonnie explained and Grams swatted at her.

"Don't apologize for me like I'm some degenerate," She grouched.

"Sorry Grams," Bonnie said quietly and she frowned at Stephanie, "You look like you just got some bad news. What happened now?"

It was quickly explained to her what had happened.

"This isn't going to help Jenna Sommers," Grams said, "But that John called me earlier and I told him of a spell that I might know. He's going to be heading over here real soon with one of those journals so that I can refresh my memory and I can perform it."

"Grams," Bonnie said, surprised.

"It pays to have a backup plan, dear," Was all Grams said, unafraid of offending Elijah, who merely shrugged.

"There was always the possibility that the elixir wouldn't work, but Elena knew that," He said and then got glared at for his trouble.

"We need to get over there now," Bonnie said urgently, "We can't let Jenna die. I can kill Klaus."

"No," Stephanie said quietly and when she saw that Jeremy was occupied, whispered, "Can you do a locating spell quickly? I'm . . . I'm going to trade my life for Jenna's. Jeremy and Elena can't lose another parent, Bonnie, and I'm a vampire that Klaus will want more."

"I'll do it," Grams said, "I'm faster at these things."

* * *

"We're here," Damon announced as he trotted inside.

"And I brought the journal," John said as he arrived with Damon. They got a few looks, and everyone had gathered into the burial site, in the basement of the mansion, making the place a hub of activity.

"Thank you," Grams said as she took a look, "Emily's spell should be in here." Damon narrowed his eyes and noticed that the elderly witch wasn't looking well at all, and then towards Bonnie's hovering form.

"When are we doing something about Jenna?"

"Where's Stephanie?" The questions overlapped each other, but they sent the room into sudden silence.

"No," Damon and Jeremy exchanged similar horrified looks, "She didn't."

"She did," Alaric said quietly.

"We have a witch! No one has to die!" Damon yelled as he spun and punched hole clean through one of the walls.

"No one except my granddaughter," Grams said firmly, "And that's not about to happen."

"Stephanie," Damon hissed angrily, "Always cleaning up after my messes."

"She isn't going to die," Jeremy said for the first time, "She can't."

"I'm ready to perform the spell on Mister John Gilbert," Grams said instead of addressing the two distraught young men in the room. John made his way over to her and they exchanged quiet words, in which had John nodding firmly about something. Damon was itching with anxiety as the elderly witch performed the spell and John stepped back, staggering until he sat down.

"Now," Grams announced as she looked at the others, "You'd best be getting over to the quarry to save your Miss Gilbert and Miss Sommers."

"And Steph," Jeremy whispered under his breath and Damon silently agreed with him. They'd find a way.

Elijah, Jeremy, Alaric, Damon, and Bonnie headed upwards, leaving John and Sheila down in the rooms with the spell books and journals. They filed out one by one; Elijah, Damon, Bonnie, and Alaric, but when Jeremy tried to pass through, it was like he hit a brick wall.

"No, no, no," Jeremy said, "You're not leaving me out of this! My family is about to be killed and so is Stephanie!"

"Exactly," Damon said, "None of them want you to be hurt."

"You can't do this," Jeremy growled and Damon stepped closer to the door frame, where they were separate by only a magic force field holding Jeremy in.

"I swear to you I'm going to bring them back," Damon said quietly, "I swear I'll bring them all back intact."

Damon and Jeremy locked eyes and held gazes until Jeremy nodded and stepped back.

"You swear?" It felt childish, but it reassured him.

Damon seemed to know that. "Yes."

* * *

Stephanie stood from her high vantage point and looked at the horror below her; Jules dead, a witch standing off to the side who exuded an aura of dark magic, and Elena and Jenna each in surely magicked rings of fire. Klaus stood in front of them and his sister, a beautiful blonde, stood beside him.

"Well, well," Klaus drawled, "I don't recall you being on the guest list, love." He turned his gaze upwards and met Stephanie's eyes. He winked.

"I'm here to talk," Stephanie said calmly.

"Very well then," Klaus said and turned to his sister, "Keep an eye on things down here for me, Bekah, if you please."

"Just hurry, Nik, I'd like to get this over with," Rebekah said sharply.

"Of course," Klaus said and he flashed up to stand in front of Stephanie. He was menacing up close, Steph thought, but even more handsome. His face pulled into a grin as if he could read her mind.

"What can I do for you this evening, Miss Salvatore?"

"I'd like to make a trade," Stephanie said evenly.

"I'm listening."

"You don't need to kill Jenna," Stephanie said quietly, "I'll take her place."

"But I have such big plans for the future, Stephanie," Klaus said with a slight smile, "Such big plans."

"Stop playing around," Stephanie growled, "Just make the trade; me for Jenna."

"Well, since you've asked nicely . . ." Klaus grabbed Stephanie's arm in a surprisingly gently grip and he flashed them down to the quarry, close to the two rings of pulsing and dancing fire.

"Took you long enough," Rebekah looked at her nails, but her gaze was sharp.

"Quite the predicament we have here, isn't it, my lovelies?" Klaus asked, making Rebekah roll her eyes, "You know all that talk about preserving family? Well, here's Stephanie, granting your wish."

"Stephanie," Elena said softly.

"It's okay," Steph said quietly, nodding her head, "It's going to be fine."

"So," Klaus clapped, "Whose it going to be?"

"No," Elena snapped.

"Stop playing games, Nik," Rebekah snapped, "You know you're not going to kill Stephanie."

"No, you're right," Klaus nodded and Stephanie spun around as he flashed to her side and he stabbed her in the small of her back with a sharply pointed stake. "I have plans for her; I need her alive to do them."

Stephanie sunk down to the ground, choking and moaning in pain as the wood burned her like acid.

"But for now," Klaus drawled, and then he placed his hands on her neck and the small of her back. He made one large stroke of a motion and Stephanie screamed as she felt him break her back, making her fly briefly in the air before she landed back onto the ground in a world of pain. "Anytime you're ready, Greta."

Stephanie kept her whimpers silent as she turned her head and watched Klaus stride towards Jenna's circle and the witch turned the fire down until it had disappeared.

"Jenna," Elena whispered.

"It's okay," Jenna said, "I know what I have to do." And she flashed to Greta's side and savaged her neck until Rebekah flashed to their sides and stabbed Jenna with a sharp stake. Jenna staggered backwards and she fell to the ground amid Elena's frantically heartbreaking shouts.

Jenna blinked, still alive as Rebekah held her down until Klaus reached them. Rebekah handed him the stake and Klaus took it and he looked Jenna dead in the eyes.

"Turn it off, Jenna, just turn it off," Elena sobbed and Stephanie closed her eyes when she heard Jenna's last scream.

"Jenna, no," Elena moaned.

Stephanie groaned and choked as she tried to rise and her hand reached back and she felt the edge of the stake, but it was lodged so far into her flesh, she couldn't pull it out herself.

"It's time," Klaus said and Stephanie had to bite her lip to keep her screaming obscenities at the vampire. As it was, she slowly hefted herself onto all fours in one last attempt to save Elena's life, but she fell back even as Klaus drained Elena.

"No," she whispered and her head fell down into the soft grass. She watched Klaus' horrifying transformation and couldn't take her eyes away, transfixed as she was. There was a low chanting that could be heard if Stephanie strained her ears and her eyes darted over to the tree line.

There was Bonnie, walking towards them were her hand out and her mouth moving quickly with words that must have been Latin in origin. Damon ghosted behind Greta and snapped her neck, and Stephanie saw Alaric stab Rebekah in the back with dagger, silencing her.

Damon flashed to Elena's body and picked her up and made his way towards Stephanie's prone body, even as Klaus screamed in pain from Bonnie's spells. He stooped and ripped the stake out of her body, making her shriek.

When it was out, she looked at Elena's slack face.

"Is she . . ."

"She'll wake up," Damon said gruffly.

"Get her out of here," Stephanie choked.

"What about you?"

"I'm not leaving until the bastard's dead," Stephanie said grimly and Damon flashed away. She sat up and watched as Elijah appeared and flashed to Klaus' prone body.

"In the name our family, I'll kill you," Elijah whispered.

"They're not dead," Klaus choked, "They're alive. They've just been daggered – like you did to Rebekah. I'll take to you them, I swear. I'll take you to them. I give you my word."

"He's lying," Stephanie yelled as she staggered to their side, "Don't listen to him, Elijah."

"I'll take you both out if you let him live," Bonnie hissed as she stood next to Steph.

"You'll die," Elijah said simply and the Original was already convinced, Stephanie could tell.

"I don't care," Bonnie hissed, but Elijah grabbed Rebekah's body and then Klaus', and they disappeared through the flames and into the forest.

"No!" Stephanie yelled, "We almost had him!" She and Bonnie sunk to their knees in exhaustion.

* * *

When Stephanie and Bonnie made their way back to the Boarding House to check on everyone, it was revealed that John and Sheila's spell had essentially traded John's life for Elena's. Subdued from the level of death that had occurred, Bonnie had said a quick good bye and head home with her wispy grandmother.

"Steph," Jeremy nearly shouted and the next thing she knew, Stephanie was enfolded in Jeremy's embrace and she breathed in scent and listened to his strong heart beating in his ribcage. "You're okay. You're okay."

"I'm sorry about Jenna and John," Stephanie whispered into his shoulder, "I tried to save her."

"I know," Jeremy whispered, "I know."

* * *

The next few days were hectic and filled with funeral arrangements and phone calls to friends and relatives. On the day of the actual funerals, Elena was glued to Damon and her friends' sides, teary and sad. Stephanie held on Jeremy's hand and never let go.

The procession was quick under the threat of rain as the sky rumbled with thunder. Umbrellas were popped open and Stephanie listened politely to the eulogies and speeches, but she kept her attention on Jeremy, afraid he'd break. His grip on her hand was tight, but she didn't mind.

When the rest of the crowd left the graveyard once Jenna and John were both buried, Stephanie left Jeremy with Elena as they mourned quietly together. She followed Damon as he walked quite a bit a ways so as to not accidentally eavesdrop to the remaining Gilbert's teary conversation.

"I know this is a bad time," Damon said quietly, "But I need to show you something."

Already high strung and sad, Stephanie turned her face up to look at her big brother. "What is it? Is it Caroline? She's been really upset about Matt and her break up, but now's really not the time and I don't know why she would go to you and what about Klaus? He's a hybrid now and how the hell do we kill him, along with his crazy sister and backstabbing brother-"

"Stephanie, sh, sh," Damon said and Stephanie stopped rambling and felt the slow tear drops fall down her face.

"Sorry," She laughed, "Today's been a mess and I'm worried about them, you know?"

"Maybe I should tell you later," Damon frowned.

"No, might as well do it now, right?" Stephanie sniffed, "What is it?"

Damon slowly rolled up his sleeve to his suit on his left hand.

"Tyler Lockwood bit me. And it's not healing."


	19. never let me go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "There is a house built out of stone  
> Wooden floors, walls and window sills...  
> Tables and chairs worn by all of the dust...  
> This is a place where I don't feel alone  
> This is a place where I feel at home...
> 
> And I built a home  
> For you  
> For me
> 
> Until you disappeared  
> From me  
> From you
> 
> And now, it's time to leave and turn to dust
> 
> Out in the garden where we planted the seeds  
> There is a tree as old as me  
> Branches were sewn by the color of green  
> Ground had arose and passed its knees."
> 
> -To Build a Home; the Cinematic Orchestra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Though this one is a bit shorter than usual, it is no less intense, I promise you. The ending is to die for ;)
> 
> And if you haven't, go listen to the song this fic's name came from, "To Build a Home" by the Cinematic Orchestra. Also check out "Never Let Me Go" by Florence + The Machine, which the name of this chapter came from. Both are fantastic!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any quotes used/modified.

Damon rose in the morning to an empty bed for the second day in a row, but this morning he wasn't annoyed or hurt or angry. Elena was at the Gilbert house with Jeremy, both probably slug in their beds still, perhaps hiding away from the day. An angry pulse in his forearm violently reminded Damon that he couldn't. He got up and dressed and eyed his lapis lazuli ring that was so prominent on his finger, seemingly mocking him because it certainly wasn't saving him from death that day.

The werewolf bite would take him, Damon knew, if only because of Klaus' assurance that it would.

He went downstairs and would have marveled at the beautiful sunlight, but he was going to leave the waxing poetry to his sister and her diary. But it _was_ beautiful, if only because it would be his saving grace that morning. Damon slowly ghosted to the window as if in a dream and he pulled open the large drapes that hung, and sunlight hit him head on.

He took another long look at his daylight ring; the spelled blue gem sat in the center of a silver setting that matched the band that was slightly tarnished from age and wear. His eyes swept the place on his arm and he stayed impassive as he observed the inflicted area; already, the werewolf's toxic saliva had made the wound infected and dark, gruesome veins crawled up his arm and the entire area was a bright red that screamed painfully.

Damon used his ring hand to take the ring off of his left middle finger, and started to slide the simple thing off. He felt the blisters forming on his skin even as he set the ring onto the side table less than a foot away from him and he threw his head back and basked in the agonizing burning that touched him everywhere the light landed on.

Delicate but strong arms wrapped around Damon's midsection and threw him away from the small patch of sunlight. He felt his ring being jammed back onto his finger and he looked up into the face of his furious little sister.

"Get off of me," Damon said quietly as he flashed upwards, but Stephanie quickly pinned him against the far wall of their living room by the lapels of his shirt, far away from the light.

"You're not doing this," Stephanie hissed quietly, "Think about Elena and Rick and me. We love you."

"I am thinking about you," Damon spat as he twisted and pinned Steph, but she quickly got the upper hand and had him up against the wall again, "I'm not letting you watch me die because of a werewolf bite. Who knows what happens?"

"You're not dying today," Stephanie countered and flashed them downstairs and Damon fell onto his hands and knees in the cell of the basement. He heard the door shut and lock tightly behind him and he twisted his head around.

"What's the plan then, Wonder Woman?" He drawled sarcastically.

"I'm going to find a way out of this," Stephanie said quietly and Damon saw in her bright eyes that she meant it.

"Oh, yeah?" Damon asked with an arched eyebrow, "You're going to find some miracle cure? Good luck with that one, sister."

"Bonnie's looking for something, anything that will save your life," Stephanie said firmly, "So don't give yet up, brother."

"Always the heroine and never the damsel," Damon observed with narrowed eyes, "Just tell me goodbye and get it over with."

"No," Stephanie snapped, "You're not going to die today, Damon. I'll make sure of it."

Damon coughed with his voice raspy as he bent over forwards and covered his mouth. He felt something wet slick his hands and he raised them shakily to his face; blood.

"Lie still," Stephanie said softly, "Please." She disappeared and returned with pillows and blankets, which she quickly set around Damon. She pulled a book from behind her back and set it next to his face. "Your favorite." She flashed away and Damon turned his cloudy eyes to look at the cover.

_The Call of the Wild._

* * *

Klaus blinked open his eyes to the brightly lit forest floor and the sounds of his siblings arguing with each other. For a moment, he was transported back to a time when they were human, but that led to thoughts about Mikael, which put him in a foul mood, so he quickly changed trains of thought.

"You've been busy," Elijah said as the arguing quieted and Rebekah some clothes for Klaus down by his head.

"Do cover up," She sniffed.

"That was amazing," Klaus said, still in a daze. He remembered paws underneath him instead of feet and the rush of the wind through his fur. Blood on his snarling lips and the screams of horror from the campers who'd picked the wrong evening to come out from their warm homes and into the grisly wild. "How long has it been?" He asked, turning his face up to Rebekah.

"Almost two days," She replied frowning.

Elijah elaborated, "The full moon came and went and yet, you remained a wolf still."

"I can change at will then," Klaus observed as he stood up. He smirked when Rebekah covered his eyes until he pulled some trousers on. "That's good to know."

Screams were still echoing in his mind and he delighted in it. "I remember every single kill."

"Yes, we've been cleaning up after you the entire time," Rebekah grouched, "Thanks for that, by the way."

"Just like old times then," Klaus smiled, "The three of us, together."

"Speaking of the three of us," Rebekah said as she flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder, "When are we going to retrieve Stephanie? She's insufferable because she doesn't remember, and her brother is a lurker. A cute lurker," Rebekah tacked on, "But a lurker nonetheless." She smirked and suggested, "Maybe I could have my own Salvatore to play with now that the doppelgänger is dead."

"We had a deal, Niklaus," Elijah interrupted, "You said you would take me to the rest of our daggered family."

"That's right," Klaus smirked, "I did promise to reunite you with the others, didn't I?"

"You gave me your word," Elijah said, his voice hedging on anger.

"And what kind of a brother would I be if I didn't keep my word?" Klaus asked wryly, "Even though you did try to kill me."

"I could have, but I didn't," Elijah observed.

"Now no one can, not even you," Klaus told him seriously, "But relax, brother, for all is forgiven."

"Where are they?" Elijah asked.

"You need to lighten up. I'll bring you to them soon enough," Klaus smiled as he watched Elijah's internal struggle on whether to strangle him or not. Klaus turned to Rebekah, "As for you question, dear, one Salvatore is quite enough, I should think, and it's going to be mine. She'll joins us shortly, don't worry. I happen to have something that she needs; she just doesn't know it yet."

* * *

Stephanie shut the front door to the Boarding House and locked it behind, not that it would do any good if anyone really wanted to burst inside, but it was all she could do for the moment. She fixed the collar on her leather jacket and pulled her phone to make a call.

"Hello?" Alaric was obviously drunk; his tone was lilting and slurring and Stephanie could hear the sounds of glass clinking in the background. The Grill, then.

"I need your help," Stephanie said quietly even as she started to run to the burial ground to meet Bonnie.

"I think you've got the wrong number, because I can't help," Alaric slurred, "I can't even save my girlfriend even though I was there."

"I know you're grieving and I'm sorry to bother you, Rick," Stephanie said apologetically, but her thoughts went back to Damon, huddled in the cell in the basement with a pillow, some blankets, and his favorite book. "Damon's dying; he was bit by Tyler Lockwood last night."

Alaric sobered immediately, "What can I do?"

After explaining everything to the history teacher, Stephanie hung up and hurried the rest of the way to the old mansion that stool where those hundred witches had been burned to the stake. Bonnie was waiting out front for her, and Stephanie greeted her, subdued.

"Hey," Stephanie said quietly.

"Let's get started, okay?" Bonnie asked, her fingers twitching and her voice hitched as he led the way down into the bottom floor. "I'm not sure this is going to work," She added once she lit the candles and sat cross legged in front of them.

Stephanie crouched down in front of her. "We've done a séance before, remember? You contacted Emily Bennett, then. Maybe one of the witches knows how to help Damon."

Grimly, Bonnie replied, "A lot of times it's not about the ability, Stephanie; it's a matter of whether or not they want to do it." Bonnie's eyes slid closed and she started to murmur undecipherable words underneath her breath, and soon she was lost in a trance.

Worried, Stephanie quietly said her name. When the witch said nothing in response, Steph repeated it a little firmer, "Bonnie."

Her eyes flew open. "Emily." Stephanie watched as Bonnie's whole demeanor changed; her head tilted back and her eyes were lidded as she observed Steph through jaded and suspicious eyes. Her stance was different, more confident and powerful. "Why are you here, Stephanie?" Her voice, contrarily, was softer, meeker than Bonnie's usually was, but Stephanie knew that it belied her real abilities.

"I need your help," Stephanie said steadfastly, "I need to know if there's some kind of spell to heal a werewolf bite."

"No," Emily through Bonnie said after a moment, "Nature demands a balance for everything."

"Is that true?" Stephanie asked as her face pinched with anger, "Or are you just saying that because it's Damon?"

"Perhaps it is his time to die," Emily evaded, but it was as good as an answer for Stephanie.

White hot anger pulsed through her veins as she took a step closer to the witch. "No. That's not balance," She accusingly, her voice barely a whisper, "That's punishment."

"I will not give you what you want," Emily was resolute as her voice grew firmer and she lifted her chin higher.

"Are you saying that there's something to give? There's a way to save him?" She latched onto that small, sliver of hope and didn't let go. "Please. If you know something, just tell me," Steph begged, "I just want to save my brother."

Emily stared emptily at her until she blinked and Bonnie cried out clutching her head with her hands, kneading her forehead.

"Bonnie," Stephanie dived towards her.

"They don't want us here," Bonnie coughed as she met Stephanie's eyes, "They think I'm abusing my power."

"They know something, I know that they do," Stephanie said urgently, "But Emily won't tell me anything."

Bonnie let out a pained gasp and closed her eyes briefly before looking back up. The look on her face wasn't cheering. "I heard them say a name," She told her.

"What was it?"

"Klaus."

Stephanie stared at the witch and felt a rising frustrating in her; Klaus was the key to everything, wasn't he? Jenna, John, and Isobel were all dead because him, along with Jules and Elena's life had almost been lost. Now he was the key to Damon's salvation?

"Thank you," She murmured gruffly, "Thank you for helping me." She ghosted away from the burial site and thought about stopping to check on Damon, but knew that it wouldn't change his condition; he's still be lying there in pain, and he'd at least have Alaric with him for company.

No, she'd go to the town square to find the others.

It was buzzing with activity; families were gathered around on picnic blankets and many were in period clothing to commemorate the showing of _Gone with the Wind_ that they were all there to see. Stephanie cursed her short stature as she ducked between people and saw some children give her looks of solidarity.

She found Elena, Jeremy, and Caroline all huddled together on a blanket, thankfully in their modern, every day clothes as opposed to the people who'd dressed up. Stephanie felt a genuine smile light up her face as she saw the three of them grinning and laughing and having a good afternoon together and then it faltered as she thought of the grave news she bore.

"Hey," Stephanie greeted and Jeremy beamed at her.

"Look who couldn't resist an epic romance," Elena teased.

"Hey, come on and sit down," He urged, "Elena dragged me here to watch some three hour long girl movie and I'd like my girlfriend to watch it with us."

"Where's Damon, by the way?" Elena asked after Stephanie and Jeremy had acquainted themselves again, "I've called him like six times already."

"Could you take a walk with me?" Stephanie asked Elena quietly, "Just a short one, I promise." Elena frowned, already worried, but got up and followed Steph away from their viewing area.

"You're totally breaking the rules," Elena accused, "Movie night is supposed to be a distraction. Tomorrow is the day we're supposed to go back to our regularly scheduled drama fest." They came to a stop a ways away from other people and they stood under a beautiful oak tree that shielded them from the sun's afternoon rays.

"I know and I'm sorry," Stephanie said as she tucked her hands into her jacket pockets. She met Elena's eyes, "I wish this could wait, but it's very important. Listen, um, the other night when Damon was helping Tyler and Caroline, something happened."

Elena paled. "What?"

"Tyler was starting to transform and Damon was bitten," Stephanie revealed quietly. Her green eyes focused on Elena's brown ones intensely.

"What?" Elena repeated, more frantic, "Is he going to be okay? I mean, we never found out if that was just a legend or not, so he could be fine."

Steph shook her head and admitted, "Damon was going to offer himself as the vampire they'd sacrifice when he found out it was Jenna, like I did, but Klaus didn't accept because of the bite; it had rendered him a 'dead man walking.'"

"Klaus could be lying," Elena said sharply, "to mess with us."

"He's not," Stephanie told her, shaking her head still, "I can tell, Elena. Damon looks . . . really poorly."

"Oh my God," Elena said.

"He told me not to tell you, but I knew that you'd need to talk to each other," Stephanie said quietly, "But he's not going to die. I won't let him."

"Steph . . ." Elena trailed off.

"There might be a cure," Stephanie said louder, "But I have to find Klaus to find it first."

"No, you can't," Elena said as she narrowed her eyes in worry, "You can't. He'll kill you."

"He won't," Stephanie told her quickly, "He has some kind of . . . fixation or something. He acts like we've met before the Masquerade Ball, but I don't remember it if we did. He had a chance to kill be before and he didn't take it. I owe it to Damon to try and find a cure, if there is one."

Elena wrapped her arms around Stephanie, and the shorter girl said, "Go talk to him and tell him that there's still hope."

"I will," Elena promised and she let go, and headed back to Jeremy and Caroline to tell them of the news. Stephanie paused and almost went with her, but . . . she'd be back soon. She saw Jeremy's dark head in the crowd and smiled a little to herself and turned around, flashing away from the town square and to the apartment Damon said Klaus, Rebekah, and Katherine had been hiding out in.

She slipped inside and saw Katherine lounging on a wooden chair. The older vampire's eyes listlessly rose to meet Stephanie's.

"Katherine," Stephanie greeted.

"Two days," Katherine ground out as she rose, "Two days I've been waiting for Klaus' compulsion to break so I could get out of here. He's supposed to be dead," She spat.

"We . . . ran into a complication," Stephanie admitted.

"Complication?" Katherine asked, her voice rising in pitch.

"It doesn't matter," Stephanie quickly said, "I just need to find out where Klaus is." Katherine reached forwards and clamped her hands onto Stephanie's shoulders and flashed them out of the front hall and behind a wall. She put a finger to her lips to signal for silence and Stephanie's heart rate rocketed.

"Klaus," Katherine greeted with eyes on Steph's face, "You're back." She stepped back and walked into view with Stephanie following behind her. Steph's eyes raked the three Original's forms and her lip curled when she set her gaze onto Elijah. "Stephanie decided to come for a visit."

"You just keep popping up, don't you, love?" Klaus asked with a teasing smile.

"I need your help," Stephanie said, her voice frigid, "For my brother."

"Well, whatever it is," Klaus told her, "It's going to have to wait a tick. You see, I have an obligation to my own brother," He waved a hand towards Elijah, "And he requires my immediate attention." He stepped passed Stephanie and Elijah walked closer to her.

"You understand how important family is, or you wouldn't be here. I brother gave me his word he would reunite me with the rest of my own," He told her almost hopefully. Rebekah snorted and rolled her eyes, stepping passed Elijah.

"Don't count on forgiveness, Elijah," Rebekah called as she followed Klaus, "Us girls aren't big on that with backstabbers."

"He really won't be needing it where's he's going, anyway," Klaus said as he appeared in front of Elijah. In his hand, the silver dagger gleamed until it was shoved into the Original's heart for the third time. He went down screaming, his eyes betrayed as they watched Klaus.

Klaus turned his gaze onto Stephanie, who quickly looked at the Hybrid as he flashed in front of her, slamming her small frame into the wall behind her.

"Now, what am I going to do with you?" He tilted his head. Stephanie spat on his shirt, fangs gleaming as she pulled her lips back into a snarl. Klaus pulled another knife and stabbed her in the chest, holding her up even when she wanted to sink into the floor to alleviate the pain.

"Now, that won't do, love," Klaus crooned, "Do you feel that? It's scraping against your heart; one little movement and you're dead."

Rebekah eyed the display with distaste, but Katherine stepped forwards. "She's just trying to help her brother."

"The witches said you had a cure," Stephanie choked as she turned gaze up to Klaus. She put a hand onto his shoulder to hold herself up, and the Hybrid had his hands on her waist and her elbow. "Just make me a deal for the cure and I'll do whatever you want." Klaus dislodged the knife and let Stephanie fall onto the ground, coughing and spluttering.

"Anything includes quite a lot," Stephanie heard Rebekah drawl. She looked up to see the vampire's high heeled clad feet in front of her face. Rebekah was staring down at her with a sneer. "It's quite all encompassing, you know. Do you really mean it?"

"Well, Rebekah, let's not think too far ahead," Klaus called as he walked away and over towards the counter, "I'm not sure she'd be of any real use to me, the way she is now. She's just shy of useless, really."

Stephanie pulled herself up to her hands and knees and turned her head to look at Klaus, her gaze burning with hatred for this monster.

"I do anything," She repeated, her voice gravely, "Just name what you want."

* * *

Damon had dragged his body to he was sitting up against the wall with a pillow behind the small of his back. The blanket was draped across his legs, but the book was close to his left hand because he was unable to read it, for the words were blurring to together.

"That looks bad," Alaric said and Damon let his head roll towards him. The man had a glass of bourbon that he sat on the barred opening of the door.

"It feels worse," Damon said and he almost winced at the raspy quality of his own voice, "My subconscious is haunting me, Rick. Please tell me you have some of that for me," He added as he eyed the glass.

"Of course," Alaric said and Damon nearly crawled to the door, but he managed to stagger unsteadily to his feet.

He took the glass and eyed Alaric's worried face. "So, my sister sent you for suicide watch, did she?"

"She's just trying to help, you know," Ricks said quietly.

Damon waved him off, "Yeah, yeah." He downed the tumbler and then choked and groaned as he staggered to his knees, "You should hate me, you know. I'm probably the reason Jenna's dead right now."

"I don't blame you for Jenna," Alaric said but he took a long drink from the bottle of bourbon he'd brought down with him.

"Sure you do," Damon said nastily, "Let's not forget I turned your wife into a vampire. I'm sure you've got to hate me for that one, right?"

"You need to shut up," Rick warned, "Neither one of us is drunk enough for this conversation. Try again in an hour or so."

Damon slowly made his way to the door of the cell and quickly stuck his hand through the barred window, wrapping his fingers around Alaric's neck.

"Kill me," Damon choked, "Please."

"Screw," Alaric spat, "You," and he jammed a syringe of vervain into Damon's hand, making him fall to the ground.

Damon felt the dirty texture of the floor and spat out some dust. He groaned, "I need blood." He coughed and hacked a bit more up and he spat it out at the opposite wall. He heard Alaric turn and walk away, his footsteps echoing in the hallway.

He heard more footsteps and then a booming voice, "Over here, Sheriff."

Dazed and confused, Damon turned his hazy eyes upwards, and even though his vision was hazy, he could tell that the man in front of his cell was one of Liz's deputies. The Sheriff walked in front of his cell and her glowering presence made him want to sink into the ground.

She opened the door and ghosted upwards, faster than she could see. She aimed the gun at him and Damon rasped, "Liz." He ripped it out of her hands and slammed her up against the wall, dazing her long enough for him to leave the Boarding House in one piece.

* * *

Stephanie clutched her breast, trying to staunch the bleeding even as she sat up, curling inwards. She turned her eyes up to see Klaus walking towards her and he knelt with a blood bag in hand.

"I heard about this one great vampire," Klaus whispered, "Always on and off the wagon, and when she was off . . . _she was magnificent_. She'd seduce her victims first, luring them in with her delicate and innocent features, but by the time the night was over, the young men were only bodies and another name was written on a wall in a closet."

Stephanie felt her heart stutter.

No one knew about the wall in her Chicago apartment.

Not even Damon.

"In 1917, she went to Monterrey and wiped out an entire migrant village," Klaus rose to his feet and his face was lit with excitement as he relayed her exploits to her, making her sick with herself and him. "A true Ripper. Sound familiar?"

Stephanie looked down. "I'm not usually like that," She said, voice strong.

Klaus looked at her with something akin to affection, making her skin crawl. "How did I know that you'd say that?" He murmured to himself, but then his gaze hardened, "That's the vampire I can make a deal with, love. That, is the kind of talent I can use when I leave this town."

Stephanie got to her feet and Klaus walked towards her until they were face to face. "Katarina," He continued, "come here."

Katherine walked to him and placed her hand into Klaus', and his face changed and his fangs bulged. He bit into Katherine's wrist and Stephanie blinked hard as Katherine gasped.

"No!" She cried out, "No, no, no." She looked at the wound until Klaus' bit into his wrist and shoved it into Katarina's mouth, forcing her to swallow it. She spluttered and choked, but right before their eyes, the infected area of Katherine's wrist healed.

"You want your cure?" Klaus asked her with a smirk, "There it is."

Nostrils flaring, Stephanie stated lowly, "Your blood is the cure."

"Got to love Mother Nature," Klaus said dryly, "Come one, let's talk, you and I." He slung an arm around Stephanie's waist and she stiffened but walked with him as he led her to the kitchen counter.

* * *

Damon staggered through the town square, confused and dazed. People walked around in dresses popular in his time, disorienting him. Everything was fuzzy and dreamlike and quite a few times he'd found himself wondering if he was really in his bed under his mother's care, hallucinating about this odd future.

He coughed and choked, but paused when he saw Katherine in a beautiful blue dress. "Katherine?"

"Damon," Someone was calling his name, he thought vaguely and turned his head. It was Jeremy, his sister's tall boyfriend. He was looking at him with fierce concern.

Damon turned his head back to where Katherine was but she'd disappeared. He looked back at Jeremy, "Where's Elena? I really need to see Elena."

"Hey, let's get you back home first, okay," Jeremy said, putting a gently hand onto his shoulder, "Come on, let's get you out of here." Damon tilted his head; Jeremy was spinning and doubling. He lurched on his feet and the boy's arms threw themselves around him, holding the vampire up.

Together, they left and Jeremy took the ill vampire inside a seemingly empty Grill. With one hand supporting Damon, Jeremy used the other to slip out his phone and dial.

"It's me and I'm with Damon at the Grill," Jeremy said quickly to Alaric, "And I still haven't seen Stephanie at all – she must still be with Klaus, but I'm getting really worried." He turned and saw Damon speed away and he cursed, only to feel something tear through his body, burning.

Distantly, Jeremy heard Sheriff Forbes shout in surprise, but he looked down at his chest and raised a hand and felt the hole there. His fingers were slicked with blood when he brought his hand up to eyelevel and he looked back up at the Sheriff's devastated face before he collapsed to the ground.

He felt his body shake and soon Sheriff Forbes was leaning over him, frantically calling into her radio. Everything had taken a grey color as he lost blood and he blinked his eyes slowly.

"Don't go to sleep!" Someone shouted at him, "Don't go to sleep!"

Jeremy struggled to open his eyes and failed to remember when he'd shut them for good. The last thing he heard before he lost consciousness was Caroline's high pitched voice, shrieking with panic.

Caroline arrived with Bonnie and they found Liz and Jeremy on the floor. "No!" Caroline called, devastated and she fell beside the boy onto her knees.

She bit into her wrist and shoved it into the human's mouth and commanded, "Drink, Jeremy, drink."

"What are you doing?" Liz asked, aghast.

"I'm helping him," Caroline snapped and then turned to Bonnie, "Is there anything you can do?"

Bonnie visibly debated with herself before nodding sharply, "Let's take him to the burial site; I have an idea."

"What are you doing? You can't take him – this is a crime scene!" Liz said as Alaric arrived.

"What happened?" He demanded and then saw Jeremy's body on the floor, "Oh no."

"Help us get him up," Bonnie said quickly, "I have an idea."

"You can't take his body," Liz repeated as she voice shook.

Caroline looked at her mom and said quietly, "You let them go, Mom. Let them go."

* * *

The smell of the blood wafting from the tumbler was tantalizing and from the look on Klaus' face, he knew that it put Stephanie on edge. It sat on the counter top innocently, but Stephanie's eyes were locked on it. She forced herself to look away at to Klaus as he spoke to her.

In his hands was a dark vial that held an even darker substance; his blood.

"There it is," Klaus murmured, "The cure that will save your brother's life. How about a decade long bender?" He turned his blue eyes onto Stephanie's face, "I have big plans for you when we leave this town, love."

"I'm not like that anymore," Stephanie repeated.

"Well, that's too bad," Klaus drawled and he stretched his arm outwards to empty the blood down the kitchen sink.

"Wait," Stephanie whispered quickly and Klaus gave her a sidelong glance. Steph barely noticed Rebekah and Katherine's silence presences in the background; they were like judges, observing Stephanie and Klaus' intricate dance around each other.

"Now, that's more like it, then," Klaus said and he put the vial back onto the counter and stoppered it. He picked up an unopened blood bag and slid it across the counter to Stephanie's seat. "I'd like for you to join me for a drink, love."

Stephanie caught it with her hand and stood straight. Klaus raised his own glass of blood to her and sipped, but kept his keen eyes on Stephanie as she broke the top off of the blood bag and slowly brought it up to her lips.

She took a sip.

"Finish it," Klaus commanded. "All of it."

Stephanie hesitated and Klaus sighed, setting his glass down. "You do everything I say and I'll save your brother, that's the deal." Steph let out a breath and raised the bag to her face and drained it, throwing the plastic down again.

Klaus slid her another bag and with a smirk and said quietly, "Again."

Stephanie closed her eyes briefly and almost said a prayer like she and Damon had done when they were human and opened them again, grabbing the bag. Glaring venomously at Klaus, she drank.

And drank.

And drank.

* * *

Jeremy woke up from the dead on a dirt floor and a woman's hands on his face. He gasped and lurched upwards.

"Stephanie?"

"Not this time," Bonnie laughed with tears in her voice, "But I'm glad you're okay or else Elena and Stephanie both would have kicked my ass."

Jeremy blinked and saw Alaric hovering on his other side. "Where's Damon?"

* * *

Elena searched the now dark square for Damon frantically, worried for his continued safety because of Sheriff Forbes. The movie was still playing in the background and it was at the part where the town was going up into flames, burning to the ground. Elena stilled and then spun around to see a sweating and pale Damon behind her.

"Damon," She sighed, relieved, "Come on, come on, we have to leave." She ran to his side and supported him.

He asked innocently, "Where are we going?"

"Home," Elena promised.

"Wait, I want to go with you," Damon furrowed his brow and Elena frowned at him.

"You are, Damon, you are," Elena assured him quietly, "Back to the Boarding House." He stumbled and Elena quickly latched onto him.

"We need to get you out of here," She murmured and Damon's eyes focused on her before pushing Elena up against a light pole.

"Why must you always run from me?" Damon asked, tilting his head.

Confused, Elena shook her head, "I'm not running, Damon, I'm right here."

"I will always chase you forever," He promised sagely, "Feed me your blood."

Elena frowned as Damon continued, "I choose you, Katherine."

"It's me, Elena," She said to him, making sure he was making eye contact, "It's your girlfriend, Elena. Damon, please." He was hallucinating of his past, Elena saw, but didn't know how to shake him out of it. Damon leant in close to her neck, his breath blowing on her face.

"Damon, no," Elena said firmly, "You're not in your right mind."

"I have to, if we're to be together forever," Damon murmured and bit into her neck. Pain flared and Elena tried to gently push Damon off.

"You don't have to do this, Damon," She said and when he didn't stop, she continued, "You're hurting me, please Damon, stop."

He leant back and his pale eyes widened, "Elena," He coughed and he sank to the ground. She bent down and cradled Damon into her arms and rubbed his back.

"Come on," She whispered, "Let's go home." Elena helped to heave Damon back up to his feet and she supported him as he leant on her and together, they staggered to Elena's car. She put him in the back and drove to the Boarding House and was a little surprised to see Rick's car parked there.

She quickly got out and walked around to the side and got Damon out, ignoring his half-conscious grumblings. Alaric met her at the door and he helped to bare Damon's weight as they walked Damon up the stairs and into his bed. Elena settled him in and got him a wet rag, while Rick stood in the doorway.

Moments later, Jeremy joined them.

"Hey," He greeted his sister quietly, "Have you heard from Steph at all?"

"No," Elena said grimly as she sat down on the edge of Damon's bed, "Not since she left to find _him_ for a cure."

Jeremy quieted and Elena could tell there was something he wasn't telling her, but she promised herself she'd ask him later. Alaric took him by the shoulder and they left, which Elena was secretly thankful for.

"It's okay Damon, I'm right here," Elena said quietly to Damon as she turned to him. His face was pouring sweat and he was pale exempting his flushed cheeks.

"Get out of here, I could hurt you," He murmured.

"No," Elena disagreed, "You won't. I'm here until the very end. I am not leaving."

"Get out of here," Damon repeated, but groaned until it termed into a wheezing cough that sent his body shaking. Elena crawled into bed with him and held his forehead to her and smoothed down his hair.

"Shh," She whispered, "It's okay, you're okay. I'm here."

"It's not okay," Damon muttered, "It's not okay."

"Shh," Elena whispered, "It is."

"Tell Stephanie I'm sorry," Damon murmured as he eyes went up to Elena's tear streaked face, "Was going to say goodbye."

Elena took in a breath and let it out slowly, feeling herself almost sob. She nodded. "I will. I will."

* * *

Dozens of empty plastic blood bags were strewn on the floor in a long trail. It winded more or less in a straight line and led to a small huddled form next to a wall in a moderately sized apartment. The noises from that corner were soft sucking and grumbling noises that would have disturbed the average human, but for the vampire standing in front of her, it was delightful.

Stephanie's eyes were closed, but the spidery veins on her face stuck out and made her look demonic despite not being able to see her temporarily black eyes. Her fangs were bulging and her mouth was attached to the end of a Mystic Falls Hospital blood bag, while the life giving liquid that didn't go into her mouth seeped through her fingers and down her shirt and across her jaw.

She threw the empty blood bag to the ground in front of her, despite the willpower it took to force it away from her lips. She licked her blood strewn face and looked up at Klaus with wild eyes.

"Very cooperative," Klaus observed with a smile as he walked towards her, "It's almost as if you're enjoying it." He dropped another blood bag in front of her.

"No more," Stephanie growled, "Not until you give me the cure."

Klaus immediately frowned, "I thought we had a deal, love. It's your choice, Stephanie; you can either remain here, living your life in Mystic Falls or you can embrace what you truly are and leave town with me, saving your brother's life." He crouched down so that he was eyelevel with Stephanie's hunched form and held out the blood bag.

She snatched it and drained the bag.

"That's the spirit," Klaus murmured and he rose from his crouch and took the vial of his blood to Katherine. "Katarina," He compelled, "Take this over to Damon and come right back."

"You want me to leave?" Katherine asked.

"No," Stephanie gasped.

"Yes," Klaus said, "And if I were you . . . I'd hurry." He went and reclined in a chair and Stephanie looked up at him, anxious and hurt.

"She'll never take it to him!" She cried.

Rebekah crossed her arms and curled her lip, "Well, that's what your brother deserves if he's going to meddle and give Katarina vervain. Even if he is a pretty thing."

Steph looked to Klaus and he merely shrugged. Stephanie collapsed into a heap and sobbed, "She'll never take it to him. She won't, she won't."

* * *

Jeremy heard a thump upstairs and exchanged a look with Alaric.

"Think we should check that out?" Rick asked warily and Jeremy nodded sharply. The boy sprinted for the stairs and found Elena lying in Damon's bed with a much improved Damon, while Katherine stood in the center of the room.

"What's going on?" Jeremy demanded.

"Nothing much," Katherine said to Jeremy with a wry twist to her lips, "Except for the fact that Stephanie gave herself over to Klaus for Damon's cure."

"What?" Jeremy stumbled, "No." The world was spinning and the one thought going through his mind was of Steph.

"It's true," Katherine assured them all, "She sacrificed everything for her brother." Her eyes danced as she focused on Jeremy, "She even gave _you_ up for him."

"What does that mean? She gave herself over?" Jeremy demanded.

"I believe the deal was . . . ten years of service?" Katherine said with a hand on her hip, "Yes, that's right. So, I wouldn't wait for her, if I were any of you." She ghosted away, leaving them all in shock.

"Always the hero," Jeremy heard Damon mutter and for once, couldn't help but agree.

* * *

Bonnie stepped through the door to her Grams' home and locked it, setting the keys on an end table that sat next to the front door in the foyer.

"Grams!" She called and frowned when she didn't answer. Bonnie walked further into the house and found some tea on the kitchen table, along with a note. She forewent the items laid there and hurried back to her Grams' bedroom.

"Grams!" Bonnie called more urgently, "Are you here?"

She burst into the bedroom to find her Grams lying in her bed, and Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief. "You're okay," She murmured as she walked over to her. "I was . . . worried."

Her Grams wasn't breathing. "Grams!" She ran to her side and gently tried to shake her awake, but the woman wouldn't open her eyes. "Please, please, no."

She thought about the note and scrambled back to the kitchen and nearly tore it open.

_Bonnie, if you're reading this, I've passed on. I'm sorry and I wish I could have stayed to help you learn to be the very best witch you could be, but I think you'll do okay. I want you to know that I love you very much and plan to be keeping an eye out so you don't get into too much trouble._

Bonnie sobbed and kept reading.

* * *

"Up you get, we've got places to go," Klaus murmured to Stephanie and offered her a hand. She sneered at him and stood herself up on shaky legs.

"I don't need your help," She snapped, "And I don't want it."

"Let her alone, Nik," Rebekah drawled, "She'll come around after she remembers. She usually does." Stephanie frowned but didn't ask either of the Originals what they were talking about and merely followed them out of the apartment.

They didn't bother to lock up because from what Steph could see, they had no valuable stored there. She wiped her face with the back of her sleeve and grimaced as the sight and smell of the lingering blood. Already, she could feel her body thrumming with new energy and a spring in her step from all of the extra human blood in her system.

Klaus carried Elijah's daggered body with them all the way to the warehouse that he led Rebekah and Stephanie to. There, there were four coffins, one of which was unused. Klaus remedied that so that Elijah was resting in it, his hands laid down at his side.

"It is as you wished, brother," Klaus murmured, "You are reunited with the rest of our family.

Stephanie eyed the other coffins and realization hit her; they were filled with other Originals and she gasped silently.

"My brother has a vindictive streak," Rebekah murmured into Stephanie's ear quietly, "But he has a soft spot for the two us, you'll soon see."

"It's considered to have soft spot when he takes me from my home?" Stephanie asked stiffly.

"He could have killed everyone," Rebekah said simply with her sharp eyes narrowed on Steph's face, "I wouldn't complain." Stephanie's phone vibrated and she checked it to see Jeremy had texted her. DAMON'S OKAY. WHERE R U?

"So, did Katarina make it in time?" Klaus asked, smirking.

"You won't be seeing her again, you know," Stephanie said quietly.

"Yes, I know," Klaus nodded, "The vervain. Besides, it's not like she'll get far. You'll help me see to that, love."

"Stop calling me 'love,'" Stephanie snapped, eyes flashing, "I'm not your love. You're just the bastard that took my family and friends away from me."

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Klaus said, his face darkening.

"What is it that you really want from me?" Stephanie demanded as she flashed in front of Klaus.

"Do you really want to know?" Klaus whispered huskily into Stephanie's ear, "Truly?"

"Tell me," Stephanie said with narrowed eyes. Her heart pounded fiercely in her rib cage as Klaus slid his body close to hers and pulled her close to him, cradling her face with his fingers. The unwanted touch almost reminded her of Fredrick, but this . . . this was different; Klaus was gentler. Tender.

" _I want you to remember everything._ "

Stephanie stepped back from the force of the information that flew into her head. Images and sensations of passion and love and hunger raged through her in a single moment, making her heart pound and her head ache. She saw victims and smelt their blood and felt them inside of her just before she murdered them and taking what she needed. They were different every time but there was constant in the madness that played in her memory of her fast and hard Ripper days.

Klaus.

His witty smile and quick banter; his blue eyes and blonde hair; his hands and mouth; their blood sharing in the dead of night as they made furious love under the blankets.

"I . . ." Stephanie's mouth fell open as she gazed at this man, this Hybrid who had been in so much of her life and hadn't let her remember it.

Stephanie raised her hand and let it rip across Klaus' face, smacking him so hard he stumbled on his feet. She heard Rebekah's delighted laugh echoing somewhere behind her.

"What was that for?" Klaus asked as his eyes flashed.

"You left me. You left me over and over again and you come back and expect me to pick up like nothing ever happened!" She screamed, "I had a life that I cannot ever go back to now, because of you! You nearly let my brother die, and you murdered my best friend and her aunt!"

Klaus took her face into his hands and kissed her with a force that sent Stephanie reeling. After a moment she returned the kiss and they stood until Klaus pulled away.

"Now, that's more like it," Klaus grinned, "I have another present for you." He beckoned a young man forwards and Stephanie's head was immediately drawn to him. "A snack for the road, love."

He bit into the man's neck and Stephanie watched as his eyes turned a different color than they usually did when he fed; a bright gold. "I could have compelled him to behave, but a real Ripper likes the hunt." He let the man go, who staggered before sprinting away.

Stephanie closed her eyes and with the overpowering force of the memories of past bloodlust in her mind and the present one in her gums, she chased him. The man careened to a stop in front of her, eyes widening and heart pumping a delicious aroma through his veins.

"I am so sorry," Stephanie murmured even as her fangs bulged and her face changed from angelic to demonic, "But I have to." Her lips curled back to reveal her fangs and darted in and fed, hearing his screams repeat in her head, echoing and she knew that she'd been writing a name on a wall. She dropped the body and tilted her head back and vaguely heard Rebekah's clapping. She licked her lips and Klaus melded his body behind hers and whispered into her ear.

"I love you."

"I hate you," Stephanie replied listlessly and Klaus laughed humorlessly in return.

"I know," Klaus said huskily, "But you'll love me again. I know it."

Stephanie closed her eyes and wondered if she was having a dream or a nightmare.


End file.
